WIRE-WORMS 279 



D, portion of Turnip leaves showing mines formed by grub : 

 h, natural size ; /', magnified. E, pupa : j, natural size ; k, 

 much enlarged. F, Turnip seedlings not attacked by fly ; /, 

 f.rst or seed leaves (cotyledons) ; m, second or rough leaf. G, 

 seedling Turnips infested with Turnip fly : , seed leaves 

 eaten and perforated by fly ; o, central or rough leaves eaten 

 of; ^>, seedling practically destroyed by fly. H, plant in 

 rough leaves riddled by biting of insects and mining by larrae. 



WIRE-WORMS. 



Wire- worms are the larvae or grubs of beetles known 

 as Agriotes, Athous and Elater, belonging to the large 

 family of Elateridae. But those which do the most 

 harm to cultivated crops are species of the genus 

 Agriotes (Elater), namely, A. lineatus, A. obscurus, 

 and A. sputator. 



Agriotes lineatus (A, p. 286) is three-eighths of an 

 inch long, and its wing-expanse is over half an inch. 

 Its thorax is tawny ; the wing-cases brown, with lines 

 of yellowish-brown. The antennae are reddish- yellow, 

 and the legs brown. 



Agriotes obscurus (B), rather larger than A. linea- 

 tus, is tawny-brown in colour, with dark thorax and 

 reddish legs. 



Agriotes sputator is not so large as A. lineatus. 

 It varies in colour from brownish-black to chestnut, 

 and has grey down upon it, with yellow antennae and 

 brownish-yellow legs. 



These beetles are called " Skip-Jack " or " Click," 

 because when one is held by the end it bends its body 



