98 



Observations on the various Insects 



ing gait. They seem to congregate in autumn, and as they are 

 very fond of fruit, vast numbers may be collected by putting slices 

 of apples under tiles or in baskets of moss : upwards of forty have 

 been taken from one slice : but these modes of catching them can 

 only be practised in gardens ; I expect, however, if cabbage leaves 

 were scattered along the furrows in damp weather, that they would 

 be nearly as attractive. The most abundant and mischievous 

 species both in England and France is the lulus pulchellus* called 

 in some French works Blaniulus, from the indistinctness of the 

 eyes or th£ir entire absence. It was reported to have destroyed 

 the potato-sets at Derby in April, 1845, and I have frequently 

 found multitudes in partially diseased potatoes the beginning of 

 October, when they were generally accompanied by Polydesmus 

 complanatus, which has also been figured and described in a former 

 volume. f 



Centipedes or Scolopendr^e. 



A large amount of these curious animals inhabit the earth, 

 Lithobius forcipatus and Geophilus electricus (?) being the most 

 usually met with. The former of these is said to be entirely car- 

 nivorous, and the latter will attack allied species as well as each 

 other. Such being the case, they are probably useful in reducing 

 the ranks of the various soft larvae which affect the roots of plants. 

 It is certain that they are very abundant in potato-grounds, and 

 Mr. Hope " attributed the potato disease to the attacks of the 

 wireworm, and also to a small Scolopendra, which he had found 

 in myriads infesting diseased potatoes at Southend. "J I observed 

 them in rotten potatoes in August, 1845, and in September last 

 the Geophilus electricus was running about in every direction when 

 the potatoes were forked out. Vast quantities of the sound tubers 

 had been perforated by the wireworms, some of which were found 

 inside, and the cavities were often enlarged by slugs. 



These animals, which, like the millipedes, are not true insects, 

 belong to an Order called Chilopoda, and to the Family Sco- 

 lopendridje. They were all included by Linnaeus in the Genus 

 Scolopendra, but from variations of structure one is now called 



24. Lithobius forficatus, the 30-foot. It is nearly 1 inch long 

 and \\ line broad ; smooth, shining, horny, of a ferruginous or 

 ochreous colour, sometimes brown : it has 2 longisb tapering horns^ 

 composed of upwards of 40 minute joints : the head is large and 

 orbicular, armed with powerful jaws like a pair of claws, having 

 a small group of granulated eyes on each side : the body is flat- 

 tened and linear, composed of 16 plates like scales, alternately 



* Journal of Royal Agric. Soc, vol. v. p. 228, pi. J. f. 53. Guerin con- 

 siders this to be the I. guttulatus of Fab. : Supp. to his Ent. Syst, p. 289.. 

 t Ibid., p. 230, pi. J. f. 55. $ Trans. Ent. Soc, vol. v. p. 136. 



