HAND-PICK I NO. 307 



' Wlien we get on a little farther with our inquiries into the 

 history of animals, and especially such little things as insects, 

 you may depend on it we shall find the best way to check the 

 increase of any hurtful kind is to encourage any other animal, 

 whether beast, bird, fish, or insect, that makes the injurious 

 one its prey.' 



Hand-picking has also proved serviceable, but I am not 

 aware of any other plan that is of the least practical use in 

 destroying this insect. The rule which Mr. Newman has laid 

 down is a most admirablf^ one, and is worth the attention of 

 all cultivators of land, whether for fanning or horticultural pur- 

 poses. The ' Nigger ' hirva is shown on Woodcut XXIX. Fig. b. 



There is a closely allied genus, called Selandria, the larvae 

 of which are singularly unpleasant to the eye, as well as 

 injurious to vegetation. They continually exude from the sides 

 of the body a thick, sticky liquid, of a greenish-black colour, 

 in which they are completely enveloped. This is evidently used 

 as a means of concealment, for the larva does not move so long 

 as daylight endures, but flattens itself to the object on which it 

 is resting, and looks like a mere lump of unpleasant slime that 

 has accidentally fallen upon the tree. In America these larvae 

 go by the popular and expressive name of Slug-worms, and 

 often do great damage to the peach, the plum, the cherry, the 

 quince, and similar fruit-trees. 



Next in order comes the insect which is shown on Woodcut 

 XXIX. Fig. 4. Its name is Allantus scrophular-im. 



In this genus the abdomen is longer and more slender than 

 in the preceding genera, the hind pair of legs are com- 

 paratively long, the clypeus is deeply notched, and the antennas 

 are rather slender, the third joint being longer than the fourth. 

 One of these antennae is shown at Fig. g. The cells of the 

 wings are formed like those of Athalia. These insects are 

 very plentiful, and are decidedly pretty, the abdomen being 

 coloured with bright yellow or green, the former hue pre- 

 dominating. In the present species the antennae are rather 

 short and thick, but in some they are mucli longer. There 

 are between forty and fifty species of this large genus. 



The larva, which is shown at Fig. c, feeds upon the Figwort 



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