]>l€tes on LisectS' 163 



their roots a good many of the same larvse as those destroying the 

 maize ; they were not however so numerous as in the latter. They 

 were first noticed among the oats about the 25th May, when the 

 Indian corn was not up, I am therefore inclined to tliink they 

 deserted the oats for the corn as soon as it came up ; the infected 

 plants presented the same appearance as those of the corn, except 

 that they were whiter and more sickly looking, most having quite 

 dried up. At the side of the field where a dung heap had stood, 

 the oats were very luxuriant, and at a little distance did not appear 

 attacked by the " worm," but on closer examination we found 

 many at work at these also, and of rather a larger size than else- 

 where ; I found one or two dipterous larvas at the roots of the 

 oats but whether eating them or not I could not determine. I 

 noticed Calosoma calidmn running across the field, and I have no 

 doubt this fine beetle, both in its perfect and larval states, is ex- 

 tremely beneficial in destroying the Cutworms, and also the larvae 

 of that pest, the common Apple Moth, (^Clisiocampa Americana). 

 It may sometimes be seen running up trees in search of the latter. 

 A specimen I enclosed in a small box with, some Cutworms soon 

 demolished them. It is much to be regretted that a prejudice 

 exists against this useful insect, and that many persons make it a 

 practice to crush all they see ; and as this species is constantly 

 running about in the daytime, great numbers must be destroyed 

 in this manner ; I frequently see them lying crushed on the path- 

 ways round Montreal, and I never pass one of these unfortunate 

 victims to popular delusion without feeling a pang of regret that 

 it should have met with such an unscientific fate. But by far the 

 greatest enemy of the " Cutworm " is a long black larva, some- 

 what flat and linear in shape, and most probably also Carabidous, 

 which I found rather numerous amongst the oats, concealing 

 itself under the lumps of earth, and rapidly burying itself if dis- 

 turbed ; the largest was about one inch and 3 lines long, but 

 most were only 1 lines in length ; I found one which had just 

 been engaged in sucking out the juices of an unlucky Cutworm, 

 of which it had left nothing but the shriveled skin ; a single 

 specimen confined with several Cutworms and a larva of Clisio- 

 campa, destroyed them all in the night, and became enormously 

 distended, having swollen to about twice its natural size, which 

 however it regained by the next day. I find by experience that 

 one of these larvse takes about an hour and a half to finish a 

 single Cutworm, passing it gradually between its jaws till all its 



