482 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW-YORK 
within the time specified, one of the active managers of the so¬ 
ciety, John Lowell Esq., the following year drew up an interest¬ 
ing statement of the facts in its history which had fallen under 
his observation, which was published in the Massachusetts 
Agric. Repository, vol. ix, p. 143. In the succeeding volume of 
the same publication appeared, in July 1827, Dr. Harris’s essay 
already referred to, entitled “ Minutes towards a history of some 
American species of Melolonthidse particularly injurious to veg¬ 
etation,” to which the prize which had previously been offered 
was awarded. And shortly afterwards a communication from 
Dr. Green appeared in the New England Farmer (vol. vi, p. 41 
&c.) giving additional information respecting this insect. These 
are the principal articles upon the rose-bug which have hitherto 
been published; and from them we learn that its history and 
transformations are as follows. 
The insects make their appearance suddenly, in incredible 
numbers. Esq. Lowell states that in 1826 not a rose-bug was 
visible on the last day of May. On the first of June at eight o’¬ 
clock in the morning he gathered a mess of peas, and not a bug 
was then to be seen on the vines. At 10 o’clock happening to 
visit the vines again, they were literally overrun with rose-bugs 
of both sexes, generally paired or double. He proceeded to 
kill them by hand. Three hours afterwards they had appeared 
upon some rows of bush beans to the number of some thousands. 
These were all killed, and then on returning to the peas to see 
if any there had been overlooked, he found the vines as full as 
before. The next day he found them upon his corn, then only 
six inches high, twenty-five bugs being counted upon a single 
leaf, and one hundred and five on one of the hills. They also 
attacked his young cherry trees, and in twelve hours completely 
stripped them of their leaves. He says it would be but a mode¬ 
rate computation to allow that they killed a hundred thousand 
of these insects on a quarter of an acre. They followed them 
up regularly every morning, for a week, and thus nearly sub¬ 
dued them upon that piece of ground. 
They continue about a month, and then all disappear. To¬ 
wards the close of their lives the females crawl an inch or more 
