INSECTS. 



is very abundant, and indiscriminate- 

 ly devours bread, moat, Hour, and 

 even clothes. The young are con- 

 tained in a singular horny case, which 

 is divided into a number of trans- 

 verse partitions or chambers ; it is 

 rather flattened, and quite smooth, 

 except one side, which is toothed. 

 The larva and pupa are both without 

 wings, and generally larger than the 

 perfect insect. 



" The house-cricket {Gnjllus do- 

 mesticics, Lin.) is sometimes abun- 

 dant in farm-houses. It devours ev- 

 ery kind of food, and is often found 

 drowned in pans of water, milk, and 

 other fluids ; it is said it will even 

 attack stockings, or linen hung out to 

 dry. Another species is peculiar to 

 pastures, which, in conjunction with 

 the mole cricket, feeds only upon 

 roots. 



" The bacon-grub {Bermestea larda- 

 rius, Lin.) is a great pest to the win- i 

 ter provisions of the farmer, devour- 

 ing hams, bacon, and all sorts of dried i 

 meats. This is principally done when 

 the insect is in its larva or grub state ' 

 (Fig. 2, /). When full fed it becomes 

 a chrysalis (g), which ultimately chan- 

 ges into a small beetle (/;) about a 

 third of an inch long, of a dusky 

 brown colour, with the upper half of 

 the wing-cases whitish or ash col- 

 oured, marked with black specks. | 

 The grub, from lying concealed in the i 

 meat, cannot be effectually removed ; 

 but by watching the time when the 

 perfect insects appear, they may then [ 

 be destroyed, and a recurrence of the 

 evil in a great measure prevented. } 

 " Woollen clothing of every de- 

 scription, furs, are liable to be de- 

 voured by the larva?, or caterpillars, 

 of no less than five distinct species 

 of small moths. Most of these en- t 

 close themselves in little tubular ca- 

 ses of a silky texture, and arc so well i 

 disguised externally by fragments of | 

 the stuff they feed upon as often to 

 escape immediate observation. As a 

 preventive, tobacco leaves may be 

 laid between the folds of garments 

 (in drawers) which are not often used. 

 If there is reason to fear the moths 

 are in the house, these garments 

 430 



should be frequently opened, and air- 

 ed by exposing them to the sun. 

 When furs of any kind are laid by 

 for the summer, they may either be 

 sprinkled with snuff or camphor, and 

 Russia leather or tobacco leaves put 

 in the drawer or box. Should the 

 motli actually have got into furs, the 

 only way of checking the evil is to 

 put them into an oven moderately 

 heated, and by keeping them in this 

 situation a quarter of an hour, every 

 grub will be effectually killed ; the 

 degree of heat may be ascertained, in 

 the first instance, by putting in some 

 common feathers, which should come 

 out uninjured. 



"Means of subduing Insects. — The 

 operations for destroying insects, or 

 counteracting their injurious effects, 

 are various, and in most cases must 

 be regulated according to the species. 

 These we have already pointed out in 

 treating upon the insects themselves, 

 or of the particular plants upon which 

 they feed. It only remains to offer 

 such general rules as are more or less 

 applicable to all destructive insects ; 

 these are of three kinds, preventives, 

 palliatives, and efficient processes. 



" The preventive operations are 

 those of the best culture as relates to 

 the choice of seed or plant, soil, sit- 

 uation, treatment, and climate ; the 

 first four are under the control of 

 man, and an attention to them will 

 undoubtedly lessen the risk of injured 

 crops ; but as regards weather, nei- 

 ther his foresight nor care can avail 

 anything. 



" The palliative operations are nu- 

 merous ; and such as are eminently 

 successful may be considered as effi- 

 cient, inasmuch as it rarely, if ever, 

 happens that any insect can be ex- 

 terminated, even from one district ; 

 its numbers may be diminished, but 

 the species will still remain, although 

 in such small numbers that its oper- 

 ations may escape notice. Most in- 

 sects will be injured, and in part de- 

 stroyed by artificial bad weather, such 

 as excessive waterings, stormy appli- 

 cation of water with a syringe, and 

 shaking the tree or plant : many will 

 thus be bruised, and others that ara 



