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productions of the field and garden, for it will feed upon corn, 
turnips, mangold-wurzel, potatoes, grass, and cabbages, as well 
as upon the roots and stems of the choicest flowers; its opera- 
tions therefore being so extensive, the mischief done by these 
formidable little animals must be incalculable. ” 
“ It is true that every grub and worm found at the roots of 
their crops by the farmer and gardener has been hitherto stig- 
matized with the appellation of ‘the AVireworm,’ which has no 
doubt contributed to add to the amount of mischief complained 
of; nevertheless, the true Wireworms have enough to answer 
for on their own account, and. the great ignorance that has 
existed regarding them renders a narrative of their natural his- 
tory very desirable.” 
“ It will probably surprise the general reader to learn that 
there are nearly seventy species of beetles in this country which 
are the parents of Wireworms; many of them however live in 
decaying trees or under the bark, and the number that affects 
our crops of corn, vegetables, and flowers is very limited ; of 
these we shall treat as far as we have been able to obtain data 
lor their histories, but their economy appears to be very similar. 
The female beetle lays her eggs ; the eggs produce little larvae 
called Wireworms, which grow and change to pupae or chrysal- 
ides, and from these again emerge the beetles. The eggs which 
are nearly globose or slightly oval, yellowish white, and very 
minute, are laid in the earth close to the root of a plant, or 
between the enveloping leaves or sheaths near the base of the 
stalk, which I am unable to determine ; it is a very desirable part 
of their economy to be ascertained, but hitherto I have endea- 
voured in vain to detect a female depositing her eggs or to find 
any, except by dissection, when I have observed them close to 
the base of the oviduct ; the little worms produced from these 
eggs must be almost invisible to the naked eye ; they grow very 
slowly, and eventually attain the length of three-quarters of an 
inch, rarely eleven lines. These are the true AVireworms, so 
named from their cylindrical form, smooth surface, and extreme 
toughness. In this state they live five years, as proved by 
Bierkander, casting otf their skins ihrice, probably, like other 
larvse, as they increase in stature. I have examined many of 
these exuvia, which are brown ; and the animals perform this 
extraordinary moult like other caterpillars, by splitting the 
240 . ADCTABIUM. 
