I iN SECTS. 



magnified (//), it somewhat resembles 

 the tortoise beetle (Cassida, L ), the 

 legs and head being only diseernible 

 when the insect is turned on its back 

 (r). Another {C. fu!. (/ucrcus, d, c, c) 

 does much injury to the oak ; while 

 the C. fagi attacks the twigs of the 

 beech {g), and causes small round 

 excrescences to appear ; these are, 

 however, very different from the gall- 

 apples of the oak (;'), which are often 

 found of considerable size, and are 

 produced by the Ci/nips qucrcus folii, 

 L. {k), or oak-gall-fly, and always 

 contain either the larva or imperfect 

 insect. The weevils (Curculionida) 

 form an exceedingly numerous fami- 

 ly, subsisting principally upon fruit, 

 seed, and gram ; one of these is the 

 nut- weevil ( C. nudum, Fig. 2, c, c), the 

 larvas of which (c, d) are the maggots 

 so frequently found in this fruit. 



" The Aphides, or plant lice, next 

 to locusts, are the most universal 

 devastators ; almost every plant has 

 its peculiar species ; their fecundity 

 is so prodigious, that Beaume has 

 calculated that in five generations 

 one aphis may be the progenitor of 

 5,904,900,000 descendants ; and it is 

 supposed that in one year there may 

 be twenty generations ! Those which 

 attack the different kinds of grain 

 seldom multiply so fast as to be very 

 injurious ; but those peculiar to pulse 

 increase rapidly, and take such pos- 

 session that the plants are greatly in- 

 jured, and frequently destroyed, be- 

 fore the seeds are matured. 



"These insects are equally injuri- 

 ous in their winged {Fig. 4, 1, magni- 

 fied) and in their larva, or apterous 

 state {m, magnified) ; they are a fa- 

 vourite tbod of sparrows and other 

 birds, who destroy numbers ; they are 

 likewise exposed to other deadly and 

 cruel enemies ; one of these is a small 

 hymenopterous insect, which depos- 

 ites its egg in the body. But the most 

 inveterate and destructive foe to the 

 plant lice is the lady-bird, or lady-cow 

 {CoccincUa, Lin), which, in its larva 

 state, feeds entirely upon these in- 

 sects ; and the havoc made among 

 them may be conceived, from the 

 myriads upon myriads of these little 



428 



creatures which are usually seen in 

 years when the plant louse abounds ; 

 every one, probably, destroying tens 

 of thousands. On this account, tiie 

 lady-bird is the greatest friend to the 

 gardener and farmer ; and could there 

 be any method devised of increasing 

 these useful insects at will, our hot- 

 houses, gardens, fields, and hop plant- 

 ations would soon be cleared from 

 the ravages of plant lice. The larvie 

 of several bee-like flies {Syrphus) are 

 no less useful in this respect. Their 

 form very much resembles that of the 

 leech, having no apparent head. Some 

 species are green, with a white stripe 

 down the middle ; others brown, va- 

 riegated with darker shades. They 

 are always found upon those plants 

 most infected by aphides, upon which 

 they solely depend for nourishment ; 

 hence they become mo.st beneficial, 

 and should on no account be destroy- 

 ed. As palliative measures, the ap- 

 plication of powdered quicklime may 

 be resorted to, or the infected parts 

 pruned off before the insects greatly 

 multiply. 



"The wire-worm is a name that has 

 been given, without discrimination, 

 to the larva;, or grubs, of various in- 

 sects, totally different from each oth- 

 er ; hence it is, that much confusion 

 and contradiction will be found re- 

 specting it in agricultural books The 

 true wire-worm is the grub of a small 

 beetle {Elatcr scgctis), and it derives 

 its name from its slender form and 

 uncommon hardness. It lives in the 

 larva state nearly five years, during 

 which time it is supported by devour- 

 ing the roots of wheat, rye, oats, and 

 grass, which it attacks indiscrimi- 

 nately, and causes annually a large 

 diminution of produce ; it abounds 

 chiefly in newly broken-up land, and 

 is particularly destructive in gardens 

 recently converted from pasture laud. 

 In the larva state it may be decoyed 

 by offering it more tempting food ; 

 but no method has yet been devised 

 for destroying the perfect insect. 



"The grub is a general name for 

 several larvaj of crane flies (Tipu- 

 lidcB), called by the country people 

 long legs, or gaffer long legs 



