VEGETABLE PLANTS. 43 



some spot where they are not in the soil, or 

 " burn them out " by building a large fire upon 

 the spot to be occupied ! Misguided mortal! 

 Does he forget that " where the carrion is there 

 will the ravens be " ? that it is Nature's law 

 to place her subjects, great or small, where the 

 food and surroundings are congenial to them ? 

 Is it not easier to suppose that these little 

 worms or maggots are bred upon the roots of 

 the plant which is most suitable to their life 

 and purposes ? Such we find to be the case, 

 not merely in theory, but in proven fact. 



This brings us to the question, From whence 

 do they come ? a question easily answered. 

 Why a question so easily solved should remain 

 so long in the dark, or why an answer so 

 easily suspected should escape a single ob- 

 serving mortal, we cannot conjecture ; but 

 such has been the case. Can the reader 

 think of many instances in which any species 

 of maggots are reproductive in themselves ? 

 In other words, does a worm lay an egg to 

 produce a worm ? Such is not the rule in the 

 insect world. 



There are three phases to most insect life. 

 First, the perfect insect, which is generally a 

 winged insect a fly, a bug, a beetle, or a mil- 



