affecting the Turnips, Corn-crops, %-c. 
209 
sidered in England, they may escape the persecution they have so 
long endured. Whether the destruction of late years of whole 
fields of corn at Oxborough, near Stoke in Norfolk, is attributable 
to the absence of these birds I cannot say, but it is certain that 
formerly the plover abounded in that neighbourhood and now 
scarcely a pair can be seen. 
Before leavins: the birds, it mavbe worth reminding the farmer, 
that in Norfolk much benefit is derived from turning ducks into 
fields at the time of ploughing, when they pick up the Wire- 
worms, the larvae of the cockchafer, &c., and whatever slugs 
there may be ; and with regard to the Wireworm we think that 
turkeys and barn-door fowls would prove equally, if not more, 
serviceable. 
There is not the least doubt that in many districts great mis- 
chief has arisen from the eternal warfare carried on against the 
Mole, as if it had been created expressly and entirely to do mis- 
chief, but hear Mr. Le Keux's praises of this persecuted little 
animal in Devonshire : — " I think it probable that the mole may 
prove the best protection against the ravages of this insect ; be- 
cause I observed that seven years ago moles were very numerous 
all over the farm, and at that time the Wireworm was never found 
to be injurious to any of the crops, but a war of extermination has 
ever since been most sedulously carried on against the mole, and 
with such success that it has become a rare thing to meet with 
upon the farm. Tiie Wireworm on the contrary is now (IS30) 
so abundant as to cause very serious and perceptible injury by 
laying bare large patches in the different crops. ' * 
Frogs, toads, and lizards feed upon insects, but whether they 
reduce the broods of the Wireworm I am not able to determine. 
It has, however, enemies in the insect tribes which probably aid 
very materially in keeping this destructive animal in check. 
In the early part of August a friend sent me a pupa, with the 
exuvia?, earthen cases, and some Wireworms ; in one of these 
which seemed to be full-grown I found two or three white mai^- 
gots, and another had changed into a nympha or chrysalis, from 
which I could see that it was an hymenopterous insect, which of 
all the orders contains the greatest number of species tliat are 
employed by the Creator to atta 'k noxious and odier insects. 
Concealed therefore as the Wueworms are in the earih. and 
armed with a coat of mail which will wuhsland most external 
assaults, this little ichneumon fly | discovers their retreats, and 
puncturing the sutures of the skin in all probability which are 
* Trans. Ent. Soc, vol. ii. p. 31. 
It is probably a Microgaster, of whicli s^enus we have already shown 
several tliat are parasitic on caterpillars: vide Royal Agiic. Journ. vol. iii. 
plate E, fig. lu. 
VOL. v. p 
