36 OBSERVATIONS ON BLIGHT. 



the hole examined with careful scrutiny by the introduction of 

 one of her feelers'', or outer prongs of her trident. If it seem to 

 require any alteration, the trunk goes to work again, and again 

 the feelers ; at last, being fully satisfied that the work is well 

 accomplished, she turns about, and standing with the extremity 

 of her abdomen over the hole, thrusts into it her long ovi- 

 positor, an instrument composed of a set of tubes retractible 

 one within the other, and deposits a single egg (never more) 

 in the very centre of the future flower. Another examination 

 with her feelers now takes place ; and when she is thoroughly 

 satisfied that all is right, away she flies to perform the same 

 operation again and again, never tiring while she has an egg 

 to lay. 



The bud continues to grow like the other buds ; the little 

 perforation becomes invisible. By and bye, the egg bursts, and 

 out comes a little white maggot, with neither legs nor wings, 

 which, directly it is hatched, begins to devour the young and 

 tender stamens ; next to these, the style is attacked, and eaten 

 down to the fruit, the upper part of which is quickly con- 

 sumed: the maggot is then full fed ; it casts its skin, becomes 

 a chrysalis, and lays perfectly still. Up to this time the 

 blossom has continued healthy, no trace of the enemy being 

 to be discovered without ; but when the neighbouring blossoms 

 are expanding their petals to the genial breath of spring, those 

 of the mutilated bud remain closed, and retain the arched 

 balloon-like appearance of a bud about to burst. For a few 

 days they preserve their lovely pink colour; and then, by 

 degrees, fade to dingy brown. In this state they remain, until 

 the other apples are well knit; and then the damaged blossoms, 

 by their decided contrast, appear very conspicuous. On 

 opening these brown, or rather rust-coloured blossoms, about 

 the 10th to the 15th of June, the chrysalis will be found to 

 have changed to a perfect beetle, similar to its parent above 

 described, which, had it been left to itself, would, in a few 

 days, have eaten its way through the weather-beaten case of 

 dried petals, and left its prison-house, flying about to take its 

 pleasure, until the chilly winds of autumn should drive it to its 

 winter habitation under the bark : and in the next spring, the 

 whole round of operations, through which we have watched 



'' " Ears." llcnnie. — Ed. 



