No. 199.J 541 



not examined them with high inicroscopic po\A'er, donot know how 

 surpassingly glorious it is when compared with the miserably coarse 

 appearance of the robes of ladies or monarchs ; even the poor blue 

 bottle fly presents a coat of burnished cobalt of inimitable beauty. 

 There is little doubt that all the precious minerals are elaborated to 

 provide these insect knights with their royal armour, nor is it to be de- 

 nied that even diamond is used in the ornament of some of thein. 



For the protection of these splendid creatures, they are provided 

 with prodigious activity and a keenness of eye-sight, of which we 

 have no conception even with all our best optical instruments to aid 

 our vision. Take the idea of Archiinides, that of employing great 

 number of mirrors to reflect the sun's rays from all of them and con- 

 centrate them in one focus, so as to set fire to the enemy's ships, then 

 conceive of the sight of a dragon fly. 



Dr. Underbill, of Croton Point, remarked that about seven years 

 ago, he noticed a small bug, about one twelfth to one slxteeeth of an 

 inch long, of a blue black color, resembling that of some specimens 

 of Anthracite coal. It attacked the buds of grape vines, and devour- 

 ed the germs, and probably left its larvae there. I have not seen many 

 since until this spring. It attacks such vines as are near or lying on 

 the ground, seldom those which are trelled up. 



As to planting seeds, I find great benefit in the following treatment 

 of corn before planting : I put one ounce of saltpetre in a quart of hot 

 water, and in the solution the seed, and leave it in overnight. On the 

 next day I put the seed (after draining it dry) into a solution, made by 

 one gill of Tar in a quart of hot water, for half an hour well slired up. 

 Take it out, and all of them will have a thin coat of tar; I then ro!l the 

 seed in pulverized plaster of Paris. 



Mr. Pitts, of Brooklyn, said that notwithstanding this operation, the 

 chip monk squirrel will dig them up, but will not eat them. 



Mr. Dederer, of Blauveltville, Rockland county, said that he had 

 used the tar on seed with good effect 



