New Jerfey, Raccoon. 7 



ruined. They do no other harm to the trees 

 or other plants. In the interval between 

 the years when they are fo numerous, they 

 are only feen or heard fingle in the woods. 



There is likewife a kind of Caterpillars 

 in thefe provinces, which eat the leaves 

 from the trees. They are alfo innumerable 

 in fome years. In the intervals there arc 

 but few of them : but when they come, 

 they lirip the trees fo entirely of their 

 leaves, that the woods in the middle of 

 fummer are as naked as in winter. They 

 eat all kinds of leaves, and very few trees are 

 left untouched by them ; as, about that time 

 of the year the heat is moil exceffive. The 

 flopping the trees of their leaves has this fatal 

 confequence, that they cannot withfland the 

 heat, but dry up entirely. In this manner, 

 great forefls are fometimes entirely ruined. 

 The Swedes who live here fhewed me, here 

 and there, great tracts in the woods, where 

 young trees were now growing, inflead of 

 the old ones, which, fome years ago, had 

 been deflroyed by the caterpillars. Thefe 

 caterpillars afterwards change into moths, 

 or fhalcence, which (hall be defcribed in the 

 fequel, in their proper places. 



In other years the Grafs-worms do a 

 great deal of damage in feveral places, both 

 in the meadows and corn-fields. For the 



A 4 fields 



