172 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



LOCUSTEOKF.R. 



CUCUMBER-BUG. 



COCK-CHAFER. 



and legislative enactments have been re- 

 sorted to for the destruction of the larger 

 kinds of noxious animals, insects have 

 for the most part been regarded as too in- 

 significant to deserve notice, while the 

 damage sustained on account of the rava- 

 - ges of insects \s probably three times 

 as great, on an average, as that produced 

 by all the vertebral animals together. We 

 have been paj^ing liberal bounties for the 

 destruction of catamounts, wolves, bears, 

 and foxes, while the wheat fly, from which 

 we were sustaining far greater damage 

 than from all those larger animals, has 

 hardly received any attention. We have 

 even paid a bounty for the destruction of 

 crows, while in consequence of that de- 

 struction our fields were suffering from 

 the ravages of grubs, which the crows are 

 designed to clieck. Crows may do some 

 mischief in the spring by pulling up corn, 

 but it is believed to be more than coun- 

 terbalanced by the good whicli tiiey do, 

 princijjally by the destruction of vermin. 

 We are of opinion that all birds, without 

 a single exception, are to be regarded as 

 friends to the farmer and gardener, kind- 

 ly provided by Providence to prevent the 

 undue multiplication of noxious insects, 

 and we cannot too severely reprobate the 

 barbarous practice in which boys are per- 

 mitted to indulge, of shooting birds for 

 amusement. It is a practice which should 

 be discountenanced by every friend of his 

 country — by every friend of humanitj'. 



Some insects are most injurious in their 

 perfect state. Of these are the various 

 kinds of bugs, which feed upon vines, 

 &c. But far the greater part do most 

 mischief while in tlie larva state. Of these 

 are the-various kinds of caterpillars, which 

 are the larvaj of butterflies and moths, — 

 the weevil, which is the larva of the wheat 

 fiy, — the maggots which cause the fruit 

 to fall off prematurely, and wliich are the 

 larvfe of curculio and other insects, — the 

 borers, which are the larva; of beetles, 

 bugs, &c. 



The Borer, which at present appears to 

 be doing most injur}' in this state, is the 

 larva of the CliUi.s piclus, which feeds 

 upon" the Locust tree, Rohinea pseudo- 

 acaria. It commenced its ravages in the 

 southern part of the slate, about ten or 

 twelve years ago. It made its appear- 

 ance at Middlebury, where it destroyed 

 nearly all the locust trees, aliout 183.5. 

 A year or two after this it had proceeded 

 northwardly as far as Vergennes, and in 

 1840 it had reached Burlington, but did 

 little injury that y-ear. About the first of 

 June. 1841, its operations began to show 

 themselves, and were continued till tlie 

 beginning of August, in which time ma- 



ny of the fine locust trees in this town 

 were entirely spoiled, and others more or 

 less injured. During the month of Au- 

 gust they were in tlie chrysalis state, and 

 consequently inactive. About the first of 

 September they emerged from that state, 

 and during the first half of that month 

 the perfect insects were seen in large 

 numbers, often paired, depositing their 

 eggs upon the locust trees in the crevices 

 of the bark, which were in due time 

 hatclied. The same operations have been 

 repeated during the past summer, and 

 now (Sept. 6, 1842,) the insects are busi- 

 ly engaged in depositing their eggs for a 

 new generation. The following is a fig- 

 ure of this insect : 



Clilus pictus. 



The color of this insect is black, with 

 the wing cases crossed by .'> or 6 irregu- 

 lar bright yellow bars, and there are about 

 the same number of yellow bars upon the 

 abdomen. The color of the legs is red- 

 dish umber. Length of the female .8 

 incli ; — the male smaller. The color of 

 the larva, or Borer, is yellowish white. 



The Cucumber-Bug, Galcruca vittata, 

 is one of our most troublesome insects in 

 gardens. It usually makes its appearance 

 upon cucumber, squash and melon vines 

 early in June, or about the time the leaves 

 begin to expand. Various means have 

 been resorted to for the purpose of pre- 

 venting its depredations, but from two 

 years' experience we arc inclined to be- 

 lieve tliat sprinkling the plants occasion- 

 ally with ground plaster of Paris, is the ■ 

 most simple and effectual remedy. 



The Cock-chafer, or May Beetle, Mclo- 

 lontha qiiercina, is often plentiful, and 

 dt)es considerable mischief by the destruc- 

 tion of the first leaves and blossoms upon 

 our fruit trees. During the day they lie 

 concealed, but come forth from their re- 

 treats and commit their depredations in 

 the evening. Tlie larva of this beetle is 

 the large white ffrub, which is so often 

 seen in rich grounds and in turfs. This 

 insect continues four years in the larva, 

 or grub form, and often does extensive 

 damacre by eating the roots of grass, corn 

 and olher vegetables- At tlie end of the 

 fourth year it descends deep into the 

 earth, constructs its cocoon from which 

 the beetle is hatched in its perfect form 



