84 CLOVER. 



are very busy ! The Starlings have found them out to-day, and will, 

 we hope, clear them off." — (P. P.) 



Later on (on the 1st of Nov.), at my request for further information, 

 Mr. James Pye, of Knights Place, Eochester, favoured me with the 

 following notes : — " The ' looper' caterpillars totally destroyed the first 

 shoot of my Clover, after it was cut the first time (it came again, but 

 was very late). They then marched across a road 10 feet wide ; but a 

 very great shoal of Starlings found them, and ate them all up in a 

 week, and stopped further damage. 



" Mr. Hope, at Moldash, East Kent, had his Clover destroyed; they 

 then devoured his Kape, and did great injury to his Swedes and Wur- 

 zels. There were several large fields of Clover destroyed in this 

 district, but I did not hear of their doing other damage." — (J. P.) 



On the 13th of July, Mr. Geo. Simpson, of The Watering, Creeting, 

 St. Mary, Needham Market, Suffolk, wrote, that, in common with 

 many of his neighbours, he was suffering from the depredations of a 

 green caterpillar on a , second crop of Clover, and was desirous of 

 learning the best remedy for the present attack, and how to prevent it 

 recurring. The specimen sent showed the infestation also in this case 

 to be of the Plusia gamma, and the caterpillar to be about half-grown. 

 On Nov. 3rd, at my request, Mr. Simpson furnished me with the 

 following further particulars regarding the attack of the caterpillars to 

 his Clover last summer, which it will be seen involve some very ser- 

 viceable points. Firstly, the powers of the caterpillars as to making a 

 complete clearance of all that was not too hard to eat ; next, the 

 important point that although the plants were thus eaten back that, 

 with favourable weather, such fields as were left undisturbed made a 

 good new growth ; and, thirdly, the fact of the Rooks and Starlings 

 flocking to the infested fields and doing good service. Mr. Simpson 

 wrote as follows : — 



" In my own case, I had two adjoining fields attacked ; one where 

 the first crop was cut late, they appeared on first, and cleared it com- 

 pletely, leaving the stubble brown and bare. This I immediately 

 ploughed, and planted with Coleworts, but think from my neighbours' 

 experience that if I had had more patience I might have had a good 

 second cut of Clover rather later. I have seen pieces which were quite 

 bare, and which, owing to the showery weather, recovered, and came 

 to a good swathe. 



" My other field, which was six inches high when attacked, seemed 

 to be too strong for the caterpillars to master, and after eating some of 

 the bottom leaves, they disappeared, whither I cannot say, but I am 

 inclined to give the Rooks and Starlings the credit of most of them. 

 This piece of Clover eventually came to a very good crop. 



" With regard to your question respecting the caterpillar spinning 



