THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



107 



of a hexagonal shape, arranged in a half globe, so 

 that the insect can see on all sides, both before and 

 behind. 



The antennae are organs which seem to unite the 

 functions of touch, hearing and taste, though it is 

 probable that the palpi are tasting organs. The fore 

 pair of jaws {inaxillx) are tasting and masticating or- 

 gans, and serve to select the food, partially tear it, 

 and then transfer it to be more thoroughly reduced 

 to pulp by the mandibles. The jaws (jnnndibles) 

 are situated nearest to the base of the head, and in 

 natural succession are placed next in front of the 

 fore pair of legs. 



It should bo noticed that no single ring is fully 

 developed in the head, and that the parts are aborts 

 ed the farther it is situated from the thorax. This 

 is so marked that the foremost ring bearing the 

 ocelli are reduced to a mere point, serving as a 

 socket for the eye-speck. Thus it is by the dimi- 

 nution in size, or entire absence of useless parts, 

 and the presence and increased size of the more 

 important parts of the ring which are to support 

 these organs, during growth, that the head is shaped 

 and acquires its finished form in the adult. 



Most writers have defined insects as differing 

 from all others of their type in being winged. But 

 there are numerous exceptions to this general rule. 

 Such are the Flea, Louse, Bed Bug, Plant-lice and 

 some grasshoppers, and other insects whose females 

 live in cases, while the males are winged. These 

 wings are generally four in number, one pair of 

 which is situated on the middle and the second 

 pair on the hind ring of the thorax, though in flies 

 there is but a single pair on the middle segment. 

 At first the wings are fleshy pods which bud out 

 just above the insertion of the legs, and also above 

 the row of breathing pores (spiracles), permeated 

 thickly by veins and accompanying air-tubes. On 

 being placed under the microscope, the blood may 

 be seen flowing slowly in towards the body, the veins 

 enclosing the minute aii'-tubes. There are six main 

 branches, or nervwes, which subdivide in the mid- 

 dle portion of the wing into four or five branchlets 

 or neruules. In the bee, beetle, fly and butterfly 

 these form a stiff frame-work over which the mem- 

 brane or skin, is stretched, thus combining strength 

 and lightness, and by folding on themselves like 

 a fan, enables the wing to be folded compactly up- 

 on the back. 



In our next article we shall learn how insects 

 breathe, digest their food and reproduce their kind; 

 and speak of their metamorphoses and their in- 

 stincts. A. S. P. 



[From THE Discussion at a Meeti.vc. or the Fruit-grow- 

 ers' Society of Western New York.] 



The Army Worm — its dangers and remedy. 



Mr. Sharp, of Lockport, said this worm had been very 

 destructive in some portions of Niagara county; was so 

 last year, and is this also. They proceed in veins and 

 seem to be worlcing soutlierly. Mr. Bronson — They have 

 been very troublesome in the vicinity of Geneva. Hel- 

 lebore, tobacco and various other alleged remedies have 

 been tried in vain. Ho had employed sixty men in his 

 nursery, armed with a species of cleaver with which the 

 worms were severed as fast as found. Kerosene would 

 finish them and the trees too. Crude petroleum as a wash 



might do, as it has jiroved effectual in the case of insects 

 on rose bushes, and also slugs in the garden. Mixed with 

 water it will not kill plants. Mr. Ferris — Soft soap will 

 kill them, but the cheaper and safer way is to get a pair 

 of leather mittens and crush the vermin. Mr. Smith — • 

 A few years since the region of Syracuse was visited by 

 the worms in question, and they were got rid of by using 

 a mixture of sulphur and lard plastered around the body 

 of the tree. The coating should be several inches wide 

 and be put on pretty liberally. The worms will not pass 

 this barrier, but will accumulate below it — much as bees 

 do in swarming — when they are easily despatched. If 

 any worms have already ascended the trees, they may 

 be got rid of by shaking or jarring the limbs, when the 

 worms will spin down by a thread to the ground. They 

 will make for the tree again, but the barrier of sulphur 

 and lard will stoj) them.— Western Rural, July 21, 1SC6, 



Observations by B. D. Walsh. — The insect 

 here spoken of is evidently not the Army-worm, 

 which never climbs trees but feeds on tame grass, 

 wheat, oats, &c. IMost probably it is the Canker- 

 worm that is referred to, which is a 10-legged Span- 

 woi-m, whereas the Army-worm has its full comple- 

 ment of legs — IG. This is only another illustration 

 of the promiscuous way in which popular names 

 arc used, or rather abused. But even scientiflo 

 names sometimes fare no better ; for I notice that 

 our western vintners still persist in calling a certain 

 insect that afflicts their grape-vines the " Thrips," 

 though it is most probably nothing but the old- 

 fashioned flea-beetle — Ilaltlca chab/bca — and cer- 

 tainly cannot be a true Thrips. Why don't they 

 send us specimens and get its true name ascer- 

 tained ? What is the use of calling a cow's tail a 

 leg ? A cow's tail will be a cow's tail still, though 

 every farmer in the West should persist in calling 

 it a leg every day of his life from A. D. 18GG to 

 A. D. 19U0. ^ 



[From a Letter from M. S. Hill, East Liverpool, Onio.] 

 The Potato-bugs, Lytia atrata and Lytta vittata, have 

 appeared in countless numbers about seven miles north 

 ot this place, to the great injury of the potato crops and 

 to the great disgust of the farmers. Many are the expe- 

 dients that have been resorted to, to rid the fields of the 

 nuisance. I understand that the most successful method 

 of destroying them was by placing, between the furrows 

 or rows, dr}' hay or straw, and s -ttiug it on fire. The 

 bugs were thus nearly all destroyed, and the straw burn- 

 ing very quickly did not injure tlie vinos. Might not this 

 remedy be applied with success in the destruction of your 

 new and highly improved Western Potato-bug? 



Hemarks by B. D. W. — The "fire cure" for 

 the Potato-bugs is quite a new idea to me; and in 

 the case of these old-fashioned Potato-bugs it may 

 likely enough answer a very good purpose, provided 

 care be taken not to make too fierce a fire. The 

 known efficiency of hot water in killing the Onion- 

 maggot and the larva of the Peach-borer, without 

 injuring the plants which those insects infest., 

 proves that certain growing plants can stand, with- 

 out any ill consequences, an amount of heat which 

 is destructive to insect life. In the case of the 

 new-fashioned Potato-bugs, however, the process 

 would have to be repeated several times ; for in this 

 species there is more than one brood every year, 

 and after a potato-patch has been thoroughly 

 cleansed by hand, the very next day there will bo 

 a fresh swarm on it that has flown in from other 

 quarters. I watched one of my neighbors, who 

 had planted a town-lot with potatoes, turn in with 



