BY WHICH THE VINE IS INFESTED. — 199° 
- Latreille says that the Mole-cricket was unknown before the time of 
Mouffet. This is not the case: it is true that Mouffet is the first who pub- 
lished a good representation of it ;—the first who gave itthename of Mole- 
cricket, or rather Cricket-mole, Grillo-talpa, a description which applies 
toitalone*. “ Liceat,” says he, “hic queso nobis pre nominum inopia ono- 
matopotein ;” and he properly rejects the names of Sphondyle and Bupres- 
tis, which had been given to it; but this rejection proves that the Mole- 
ericket had previously attracted and engaged the attention of naturalists. 
In fact, Aldrovandus had given a good description of this insect before 
Mouffet, and a representation of it which, though bad, may still be 
recognised : he named it Zalpa Ferrantis, because this insect had been 
previously named Mole, and Ferrante Imperato had figured it : Neapo- 
litanus diligentissimus aromatarius in naturali sua historia, book xxviii., 
says Aldrovandus. Mouffet is therefore indebted to Ferrante for half 
the name which he gave this insect; for, that he was acquainted with 
his work is evident from his having borrowed from it the figure which 
he published of the Tarantula Spider. Ferrante’s work was printed in 
Italian after his death in 1599, and translated into Latin. The original 
edition is scarce+, and no naturalist of late times, that I am aware of, 
even including Linnzus, was acquainted with it; at least not one of 
them has quoted it. They all think that they have done much in 
ascending to old Aldrovandus ; but we have just shown that the history 
of the Mole-cricket commences before him and Mouffet, and even be-. 
fore Ferrante ; for if the application which we have made of the word 
Biurus be, as it appears, exact, we must refer to ancient times for the 
first mention of this insect. 
The Mole-cricket causes great devastation, especially in the southern 
parts of Europe; it digs holes and constructs subterranean galleries, 
and euts and detaches the roots of plants by means of its fore feet, 
which are shaped like saws ; but this it does solely to provide a habita- 
tion for its posterity, for it neither eats plants nor their roots, but feeds 
only upon insects, and destroys a great number of the injurious ones{. 
The havoc caused by the Mole-cricket (Courtilliére) has probably been 
confounded with the devastation committed by the white worm of the 
Cockchafer, for, according to a recent dictionary of agriculture§, the 
name of Courterolle has been given to both in several of the cantons of 
France|. 
* Mouffet, Insect. Theatr., p. 104. chap. 24. 
__ + Ferrante Imperato, Del Historia Naturale, libri 28, Naples, 1599, p. 787. 
Talpa insecto. This representation is better than the one given by Aldrovandus. 
t Acheta Grillo-Talpa, Fabr., System. Entom., vol. ii. p. 28. No. 1. Walcke- 
naer, Faun. Paris., vol. ii. p. 282. 
§ Baron de Morogue, Cours complet d’ Agriculture, 1834, 8vo, vol. vii. p. 849, 
at the word CourTERoLLE. ; 
|| [An elaborate memoir “ On the Anatomy of the Mole-cricket,” by Dr. Kidd, 
will be found in the Philosophical Magazine, 1st Series, vol. lxvi. p.401.—Enir. ] 
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