128 



THE CLOVER CROP. 



frequently used with great success, as it acts very bene- 

 ficially on the growing crop. There are several cater- 

 pillars, too, that feed on the foliage of the clovers, lucerne, 

 and allied plants. The large hairy caterpillars of the 

 (: clover eggar moth" Lasiocampoj trifolii iri some 

 seasons and districts, when they are abundant, consume 

 large quantities and do considerable damage to the crop. 

 The caterpillars of the " burnet moth" Euclid ia 



1. Burnet moth, Eitclidia ylypluca. 2. Caterpillar of do. 

 3. Shipion moth, Euclidia mi. 4. Caterpillar of do. 



ylypldca and of the "shipton moth" E. mi two 

 very pretty moths, which may very commonly be seen 

 flying over the clover fields by day, and sporting in the 

 sunshine are equally injurious in their habits. These 

 moths lay their eggs on the stem and leaves of the plant, 

 on which the caterpillars commence the work of destruc- 

 tion directly they are hatched. Happily this work is 

 checked, and their numbers reduced by sundry parasitic 

 flies of the ichneumon family, among which the Peltastes 

 dentatus has been particularly noticed as attaching itself 

 to the moths just mentioned. 



