Fereday. — On the Injuries to Vegetation by Insects. 291 



principally upon the roots of grasses, coiling themselves np when disturbed. 

 The transformation to the pupa state takes place under ground, and the pupae 

 are of a chestnut colour and glossy. 



Cloantha composita not only tlies at night, but also may be frequently 

 seen on the wing in the daytime, flying briskly from flower to flower, and 

 feeding upon the nectar, which it extracts with its long proboscis. The larvae 

 are more slender than those of Pielus, of a variety of colours, and striped 

 longitudinally with numerous thread-like lines. They have sixteen feet, and 

 feed principally on grasses and standing corn — especially rye-grass and oats — 

 eating off the heads and stems of the grass, and the ears and leaves of the 

 corn, sometimes resting on the stems during the day, but generally hiding in 

 the grass, and coming out at night to feed. They commit immense damage, 

 and when they have consumed the grass of one field they may be seen in 

 prodigious numbers marching over the ground to another. The pupa is found 

 under ground, and is of a dark glossy chestnut colour. 



Heliotlds armigera makes its appearance on the wing by day, as well as at 

 night, and particularly delights in the brightest sunshine, when it may be 

 seen, like Cloantha comiposita^ fljiiig about the flowers in search of nectar. 

 The caterpillars are of various colours, have sixteen legs, and feed on low 

 plants and vegetables, particularly peas, the pods of which they perforate and 

 devour the contents. The colour of the pupa is glossy chestnut or brown. 



8esia tipuliformis has undoubtedly been brought into this country with 

 the currant tree, upon which it feeds, and it shows how careful we ought to be 

 when introducing anything useful that we bring not with it a grievous pest. 

 The ravages of this insect have so increased that I question if we shall be able 

 much longer to grow the red currant unless some check is imposed. The 

 larvse (whitish fleshy grubs) perforate the stems and branches of the trees, 

 and eat away the pith. The perfect insect would be mistaken by the 

 uninstructed for a species of fly or hymenopterous insect, so little does it 

 resemble the ordinary appearance of a moth. 



The Odontria beetles may be seen in the dusk of evening, flying in swarms 

 over the grass, and humming like a hive of bees. The larvse are subterranean, 

 and are particularly destructive to clover and grasses, devouring the roots and 

 leaving the upper part of the plant loose upon the ground as if cut ofi" with 

 a knife. They are soft fleshy grubs of a whitish colour, with brown horny 

 heads. They have six legs, one pair on each of the three first segments, but 

 none on the hinder. When disturbed they lie motionless, in a recurved 

 position, having the hinder part bent inwards towards the head in the form of 

 a hook. They seem, though not half their size, to be almost as destructive as 

 the larvse of the cockchafer [Melolontha vulgaris) which does such immense 

 damage to pastures in England. Most, if not all, of the several species of this 



