1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



229 



From the Chicago Trihune. 



Natural History Society— Lecture by 

 Dr. Walsh on the Habits of Insects. 



BtooMiNGTON, June 27, 1862. 

 Interesting pape s were read before the Nat- 

 ural History Society, among which may be es- 

 pecially noticed that of Dr. George Vasey, en- 

 titled • 'Remarks on some of the naturalized 

 plants and weeds of the State of Illinois." An 

 interesting discussion ensued, upon the vexed 

 question between scientific men and farmers, 

 Does wheat change to chess? It resulted, as 

 the discussion always does, in the couclnsion 

 that, as a matter of theory, it was impossible 

 for the thing to happen, but that as a matter of 

 fact and observation it did take place. 



TO NATURAtlSTS. 



Dr. Frederick Breudel, of Peoria, is preparing 

 a paper upon " The Woods in Winter, and the 

 means of recognizing the trees by the buds, 

 brflnches, bark, etc." He wishes for aid from 

 naturalists ; that those in the southern portion 

 of the State and ia the most northern part will 

 collect and send to him specimens of woody plants 

 which do not grow in the vicinity of Peoria. He 

 desires specimens from every season, with flow- 

 ers, fruits, and branchlets collected in winter; 

 also sn?all cuts of wood with the bark. In this 

 manner can be completed the observations, which 

 may lead to the identification of our trees and 

 shrubs in their winter state. Those who are 

 willing to aid in this project can correspond with 

 Dr. Brendel upon the subject. 



THE HABITS OF IKScCTS. 



The lecture by Dr. Walsh, before the Natural 

 History Society, is deserving of more mention 

 than I can allow myself to make. He commenced 

 by saying that Sidney Smith speaks on one occa- 

 sion of an "insect with eleven legs, a nonde- 

 script with eleven wings, a caterpillar with a 

 dozen eyes in his belly," and those whose busi- 

 ness it is to know, every insect has just six legs 

 — four or two, ( r no wings at all — and, when they 

 have any, their eyes invariably affixed to their 

 heads. It serves as an illustration of the total 

 popular ignorance in regard to "bugs." The 

 natural history of the higher animals is known, 

 in its rudiments, even to children, while that of 

 the lower animals, such as insects, is a sealed 

 book to almost every person. And yet their hab- 

 its and organization are equally full of interest, 

 and swarms of species are always present ; while 

 the number of mammals, birds or reptiles, is ex 

 ceedingly limited in every locality. 



Insects are regarded as contemptible creatures, 

 and yet God has used his power to create myri- 

 ads upon myriads in such perfection that Solo- 

 mon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like the 

 very meanest of them. It is, therefore, beneath 

 the dignity of none to study them in all their in- 

 finitesimal perfections. Great and small are but 

 80 by comparison. The earth to tne sun is bat 

 a mustard seed to a melon ; and the sun sinks 

 into significance by the side of the starry suns 

 in the sea of space. There is no reason for the 



popular opinion that entomology — or the •' pur- 

 suit of bugs " — is a frivolous pursuit. 



What is the utility of this pursuit ? A mod- 

 erate knowledge of insects oils the wheels of 

 daily life. History records authenticated "show- 

 ers of blood," bringing fright and dread. They 

 came from the red coating of a butterfly — "the 

 painted lady" — several allied species of which 

 are found in Illinois, and may, at any time, give 

 rise to similar phenomena. Another butterfly — 

 the morning clock, so called from its be'ng black 

 with a cream-colored border — was introductd in- 

 to this country from Europe with some L')n,bardy 

 poplars. In New England the people soiiiehow 

 thought its larva was poisonous, and groves of 

 poplars around dwellings were destroveil in cos- 

 sequence of the mistaken notion. A wooly or 

 plant louse ravaged the p.pple orchards of Icca'i- 

 tie^ in England. A similar looking lonse, np- 

 peared on the poplars, and it was thought that 

 the orchards destroyed came from poplars, and 

 all the poplars were cut down. The two moths 

 were of different species and the proceeding was 

 an outrage, doing immense injury, working no 

 good. The female of some moths has no wings, 

 and has to crawl uj) the trees. Tarred bandages 

 properly applied to the trunks prevent harm trom 

 these, but this proceeding, as against the canker 

 worms, is only a humbug, and yet thousai.ds of 

 dollars have beea spent in placing the n ost ap- 

 proved leaden troughs filled with oil, etc., to 

 guard against the latter. These are mentioned 

 out of a long catalogue of instances at hand of 

 a similar character. 



When it was determinned to pleague the Egyp- 

 tians, lions, tigers, and "that ilk," were not s^nt, 

 but flies, lice and locusts. The great Anitrican 

 plague, appearing annually, is the pleegue of 

 insects. America is known as "the land of in- 

 sects !" The annual destruction of wheat in 

 New York by one insect — the wheat midge — is 

 calculeted at $15,000,000. For every dollar's 

 worth of wheat the New York farmer harvests, 

 this midge takes a dollar's worth, being one-ha'f 

 of the crop. This midge comes from England, 

 but there it is recorded that in the worst year of 

 the ravages, only destroyed one-twelfth of the 

 crop. And yet while Europe inve^^ts leguiarly 

 and constantly vast sums for a knowledge of the 

 means of protection against insects, Ameri'-a 

 requi ing more, is a niggard in this regard, main- 

 ly because it does not know and appreciate the 

 value of such knowledge, and the valuable resuls 

 flowing therefrom. 



Mr. Walsh then pointed out the manner in 

 which entomological investigation discovered the 

 means of checking the ravages of insects, and 

 urged in strong terms the nece?siiy of a system 

 fostered under the auspices of state or national 

 charge. He referred to his own researches in 

 regard to the army worm, and the means he had 

 ascertained of guarding against it successfully 

 and fully. He referred to the fact that as the 

 lines of temperature did not co'>form to the loca- 

 tions of insects, the investigations made by oth- 

 er States did us but little benefit. Of the chinch 

 bug, so common here. Dr. Fitch, in his twenty- 

 five years's study, had met with only th?eeia the 

 State of New York, and Dr. Harris only found 

 one in the State of Massachusetts. 



