No. 199. J 531 



Resolved' wnanimousli/, That the thanks ef this club be tendered 

 to the Honorable Legislature of New Jersey for the law passed by it, 

 for the protection of that class of birds which protect us from the 

 ravages of insects in our crops, and the club entertains the hope that 

 all our states will follow this intelligent and noble example. 



Resolved, That the secretary transmit a copy of this resolution to 

 the Legislature of New Jersey. 



A true copy from the minutes. 



. Farmers^ Club, April 30th, 1850. 



Judge Van Wyck in the Chair. Mr. Henry Meigs Secretary. 



Mr. Meigs observed that there are now ascertained about 300 spe- 

 cies of Curculio. All this race are Coleopters, that is, have shelly co- 

 vers for their wings. Their larva are very small oblong soft worms, 

 with six legs, which are scaly, and its head also is. Larva signifies 

 mask, owing to the purpose it serves of masking the perfect insect. 

 This larva penetrates grain and wheat ; in wheat it obtains the name 

 of weevil. One siiiall species enters the elm leaf and eats a habita- 

 tion in it on one side, which turns yellow ; this dwelling swells a lit- 

 tle, and is termed a bladder. At the next stage this curculio pierces 

 the bladder and jumps out of it ; its hind legs and thighs are adapted 

 to active leaping. 



Lieuwenhoek observed the Aphides carefully, and found that a sin- 

 gle pair, male and female, beginning on .the first day of June, ha^ in 

 tliree months seven hundred thousand descendants. 



The Greeks called the insect Entonia — meaning cut in twoj the 

 Latins called it Inseciuni, meaning the same thing, the thorax or 

 breast being almost divided from the abdomen or belly. Naturalists 

 have attributed to Solomon, the gr«at King of the Jews, the first writ- 

 ings on the subject of insects, and lament the loss of those writings. 

 From Solomon to Agassiz, this subject has been deemed of great im- 



