INDIRECT INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS. 179 



which is found to remain in the larva state four years, 

 sometimes destroys whole acres of grass, as I can aver 

 from my own observation. It undermines the richest 

 meadows, and so loosens the turf that it will roll up as if 

 cut with a turfing-spade. These grubs did so much 

 injury about seventy years ago to a poor farmer near 

 Norwich, that the court of that city, out of compassion, 

 allowed him 25/., and the man and his servant declared 

 that he had gathered eighty bushels of the beetle a . In 

 the year 1785 many provinces of France were so ravaged 

 by them, that a premium was offered by the government 

 for the best mode of destroying them. They do not con- 

 fine themselves to grass, but eat also the roots of corn ; 

 and it is to feast % upon this grub more particularly that 

 the rooks follow the plough. 



' The larva also of another species of a cognate genus 

 (Hoplia pulverulenta) is extremely destructive in moist 

 meadows, rooting under the herbage, so that, the soil 

 becoming loose, the grass soon withers and dies. Swine 

 are very fond of these grubs, and will devour vast num- 

 bers of them, arid the rooks lend their assistance. 



Amongst the Lepidoptera, the greatest enemy of our 

 pastures is the Charceas Graminis 9 which, however, is 

 said not to touch the foxtail grass. In the years 1740, 

 1741, 1742, 1748, 1749, they multiplied so prodigiously 

 and committed such ravages in many provinces of Sweden, 

 that the meadows became quite white and dry as if a fire 

 had passed over them 5 . This destructive insect, though 

 found in this country, is luckily scarce amongst us ; but 

 our northern neighbours appear occasionally to have suf- 

 fered greatly from it. In 1759, and again in 1802, the 



a Pkilos. Trans. 1741. 581. b De Geer, ii. 341. Amcen. Acad. Hi. 355. 



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