478 
Observations on the various Insects 
Dr. I. W. Calvert,* to make the agriculturist acquainted with a 
caterpillar which is very destructive in some districts. Dr. C. says, 
in a letter dated January, 1841, ''I have been much aspoyed at 
Snilcsworth for the last three years, by a brown streakecl grub or 
small caterpillar, about an inch long, attacking the wheat-ear chiefly 
in the manner of a leech sucking. It pierces the chaff, and empties 
it of its contents, whether in a milky or farinaceous state (fig. 15, 
g and/<). I have left some at the Entomological Society's rooms, 
and have attended two of their meetings, but could not liear of any 
thing of this sort ever being observed before, nor can I learn that 
they have been noticed by any of the tenants at Snilesworth. 
They first made their attacks about the beginning of September ; 
so that if I can hasten the harvest by forward sowing in the pre- 
vious autumn, they may find themselves too late to do material 
mischief; hitherto, however, it has been more than we could do 
to get the corn ripe at all, the seasons having been so wet of late. 
I have some of the caterpillars confined in the earth, where they 
have buried themselves, and hope to give a better account of their 
origin and history next year." The following August I received a 
communication from Dr. Calvert, saying that these caterpillars 
had not been observed in the previous year until the 1st of Sep- 
tember, when they were from a quarter to half an inch long; that 
in the standing corn they perforated the chaff and nearly emptied 
the grains of their contents. During the reaping of tlie harvest 
they were also found lying on the surface of the groinid ; and in the 
stack or barn, after the corn was carried, committing their depre- 
dations there. In the month of November Dr. C. gave me several 
of the caterpillars which were feeding upon wheat-ears in a bottle ; 
some of them were no larger than fig. 16, others had attained the 
length of fig. 17, but were scarcely so robust, except when they 
drew themselves up ; these were of a dull rosy brown, freckled, 
wrinkled, and sparingly clothed with short hairs; the head was 
horny, of a dull chesnut-colour, with two black stripes on the face ; 
the first thoracic segment was horny also, shining and piceous, 
with three yellow stripes, the central one extending the whole length 
of the back, and distinctly defined with dark edges, the lateral 
ones are continued along the sides, but these become duller and 
are less distinct ; they approximate at the tail, where the inter- 
vening spaces are piceous; each segment bears four black dots, 
tile hinder pair being farthest apart; there is a brown irregular 
line along the spiracles, which are black. 
It is remarkable, but in conformity with the usual laws of Crea- 
tion, as regards insects at least, that when a species becomes abun- 
♦ Of Snilesworth, Yorkshire ; communicated by Professor Henslow. 
