NOCTUAS. 



328 



unduly; as far as my observations have ex tended 

 they are always barren and therefore entirely 

 useless as regards the continuance of their 

 kind. This is by no means an isolated case 

 of the superabundant supply of life provided 

 by Nature; the autumnal production of drones 

 in bee-hives not one in a thousand of which 

 ever serves j,ny useful purpose, as far as apia- 

 rians have ascertained is a similar instance 

 of the lavish abundance Nature supplies ; and 

 the destruction of these drones by the workers 

 exhibits the mode in which she disposes of 

 this superabundance. These barren moths 

 are not merely unproductive, but their bodies 

 are perfectly empty, mere hollow cavities 

 without eggs or any perceptible ovary. If the 

 \vinter prove severe the caterpillars retire 

 cLeeper, beyond the reach of frost, returning 

 towards the surface again as soon as the ther- 

 mometer rises. 



The bulk of the MOTHS emerge in June, and 

 then the sexes are in equal numbers, and the 

 females are invariably fertile, their bodies 

 being filled with eggs. The species is only 

 too common everywhere. (The scientific name 

 is Agrotis Segetum.) 



Obs. 1. The hybernatioa of caterpillars is a 

 fact very familiar to entomologists ; but they 

 live through the winter in a quiescent state, as 

 th~ugh slumbering, and do not eat, simply be- 

 <\.^c their usual supply of food has failed ; 

 the leaves have fallen, and they are compelled 

 t > wait until spring has produced a fresh sup- 

 ply. But in the case of these turnip-grubs it is 

 very different : their food, being roots, is to be 

 found at all seasons, and the work of destruc- 

 tion goes on incessantly, and is only limited 

 by the supply ; indeed the various agricultural 

 roots are often harvested with the enemy con- 

 cealed in the interior. 



Obs. 2. I believe I should rather understate 

 the fact if I were to say that during the spring 

 and summer of 1864 I received, through her 

 Majesty's Post-office, one hundred consign- 

 ments of this most inj urious insect, together 

 with details of its ravages, and demands for a 

 remedy. It is taken for granted, from my 

 long course of observation, and frequent com- 

 munications to public papers on the subject of 



insect pests, that I possess a sort of omni- 

 science in these matters, whereas, the truth is, 

 however we may seek to disguise it, that the 

 most learned and most observant of entomo- 

 logists knows but little, very, very little ; and 

 when he ventures on advice, instead of being 

 couched in the cabalistic figures of a prescrij)- 

 tion, or a recommendation to purchase some 

 nostrum of which he, the entomologist, may 

 be supposed the proprietor, is generally a 

 simple recommendation to the querist to allow 

 Nature to take her course. Thus, all my own 

 observations tend to show that Nature is her 

 own physician, and that neither allopaths nor 

 homoeopaths can do anything better or wiser 

 than allow Nature to work out her own cure. 

 In our own bodies we find that almost every 

 disease can be traced, more or less directly, 

 to some interference with the course of 

 Nature : we eat too much, or drink too nv ch, 

 or interfere in some way with Nature's laws ; 

 inconvenience follows, and we demand a, 

 second interference to balance the first. It is 

 exactly thus with the world of animals. 

 Birds, insects, all living things, have their ap- 

 pointed food : this is a law with which it is 

 dangerous to interfere : the present instance is 

 as good an illustration of this as can possibly 

 be given. Nature supplies roots as the food 

 for the turnip-grub. Man increases the supply 

 of food prodigiously; Nature increases the 

 number of devourers prodigiously. The farmer 

 does everything in his power, and very 

 properly so, to increase the crop of swedes, 

 turnips, mangold-wurzel, potatoes, and so 

 forth; Nature does all in her power to increase 

 the number of the grubs so abundantly supplied 

 with food ; these grubs are the especial and 

 favourite food of certain birds the partridge, 

 the rook, the starling. Following up the in- 

 variable law, Nature multiplies the birds 

 because of this superabundant supply of grubs ; 

 man thwarts Nature, destroys the birds, and 

 gives immunity to the grubs. Thus we allow 

 the grubs to increase in fact, give them every 

 encouragement ; they revel in the abundance 

 we have provided for them, and we wonder at 

 their voracity, and demand a remedy for the 

 injury we have caused. This principle of 



