ENTOMOLOGY, 
240 
ENTOMOLOGY, 
OF THE THRIP. 
We ended our notice of this insect by saying that it is of a pale 
greenish white colour, smaller and longer shaped, and more active than 
the aphis; and we are happy in being able to add, by the kindness of 
our friend A, a scientific description of this little insect. 
Okbo Hemipteka, Linne, Fam. V. ThripidjE, Steph., Gen. 1, 
Thrips, Linne. Snout secreted within the mouth ; ciniennce, the 
length of the thorax; body, linear; abdomefi, inclining upwards; 
wings, four, straight, long, incumbent on the back, narrower than the 
body, slightly crossing. 
A powerful microscope must have assisted the entomologist to write 
such a description, as the insect in question is but just visible to the 
naked eye. They live chiefly on the leaves of various hothouse plants, 
and occasionally on those of forced French-beans. They prefer the 
under side of the leaves ; and their bites on the cuticle resemble those 
made by the acarus*, and with similar effect upon the general health of 
the plants on which they prey; the leaves become pale and somewhat 
distorted, and drop sooner than if they were free from this annoyance. If 
they once establish themselves in a collection of stove plants they are 
not easily eradicated ; and we have often noticed that they are most 
injurious to those plants which have the most delicate foliage; and 
particularly those having pinnated leaves, as Tantarnulus, Poinciana, 
and the like; so that whatever means are taken to expel them, 
whether a strong suffocating effluvia, or an offensive wash, is equally 
destructive to the foliage as to the insect. An ammonious vapour, 
so destructive to many insects, is equally destructive to delicate 
vegetation. 
Strong and long-continued fumigations of tobacco, frequent syringing 
with water, and steaming, we have seen tried in vain. But we have 
often thought that these intended remedies failed in consequence of the 
infested plants being kept in the bark bed while the insects were 
undergoing the ordeal; for it is very probable that many of them were 
among, or might leap down and hide in the bark until the noxious 
fumes or vapour have gone off. We are rather inclined to believe 
that this might be the case, from an instance which came to our 
* “ The red spider cannot exist a moment in an atmosphere where sulphur in a volatile 
state is suspended ; and a very small quantity washed upon the flue where it is warm but 
not very hot suffices: for that substance must never be ignited.’’-— Salisbury Hort . 
Trans, vol. i. 297. A 
