Caterpillar of the Apricot Bud. 3 



blossoms. If tliese, therefore, be disturbed, we perceive the 

 little caterpillar endeavouring to make its escape ; and thus we 

 are enabled to trace the injury to its source, and destroy, wish 

 very little trouble, the cause of the mischief; for not only does 

 the removal of the dead leaves and petals insure the destruc- 

 tion of the caterpillars, but the trees are thereby cleansed from 

 a mass of dead rubbish ; trifling, it is true, in each single patch, 

 but amounting, on a large apricot tree, to a quantity sufficient, 

 if left on the tree, to harbour various creatures, which may sub- 

 sequently be injurious to the leaves or fruit ; especially vvoodlice 

 and earwigs. Cleanliness, not only in the animal, but also in 

 the vegetable, world, is one of the surest means which can be 

 adopted for extirpating obnoxious creatures of various kinds ; 

 and, doubtless, in plants, as well as in animals, the cleansing oi 

 a tree from its invaders not only insures the destruction of its 

 parasites, but gives a healthy tone to its system ; which is ana- 

 logous, in plants, to the pleasing sensations which result from 

 cleanliness in animals. Thus, in the instance of the apricot 

 insects in question, by removing the rubbish from the tree, we 

 not only destroy the parasite, but, in all probability, render the 

 tree more healthy, and hence more likely to give a better crop 

 the following year. We cannot too often inculcate this possi- 

 bility of benefits resulting from our own exertions, and which 

 the French have so well embodied in their expression, " Aide' 

 toi, le del faidera^ 



When the caterpillar has attained its full size, it has not far 

 to go, nor is much labour requisite for the construction of its 

 cocoon. It attaches the remnants of the leaves together slightly 

 with threads ; or, if it has previously made its way to a young 

 fuller grown leaf, it rolls it partially up, fastening it with threads, 

 and in the midst of this retreat it casts off its caterpillar skin, and 

 becomes a shining brown chrysalis, very similar in its form to that 

 of the moth of the rose tree, described in a previous article of my 

 series. The back of the abdominal segments is furnished with 

 five spines directed backwards, two rows being placed on each 

 segment, and which are employed in pushing the chrysalis 

 through the slender barriers of its cocoon, when the time has 

 arrived for the bursting forth of the perfect insect. This takes 

 place in the month of July ; and at that period the moths may 

 be seen flying about when the leaves are disturbed. On examin- 

 ing the folded up leaves, or the mass of rubbish in which the 

 chrysalis state was passed, the chrysalis skin will be found half- 

 protruded out of its former residence, in the same manner as 

 is described in the proceedings of the rose moth, above referred 

 to. The perfect insect belongs to the same order, section, and 

 family (Tortricidae) as the last-named insect. It is the type of the 



B 2 



