8 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
ravaging the mangold wurzel. This insect, carnivorous in its perfect form, is herbi¬ 
vorous in the state in which it is so injurious to the farmer. Is there not here a 
means of reducing its numbers ? May not the perfect insects be trapped at an early 
period of the year by carrion, and so prevented spreading their mischievous hoards ? 
You doubtless recollect that when the dockyards at Sweden were infested by a 
beetle, whose larvse threatened to destroy the valuable stores of timber therein, Lin- 
neus being applied to, directed that at the breeding time of the insect in question the 
timber should be submerged. The advice was followed, and the ravages complained 
of stayed. Many persons ignorantly seek the destruction of small birds on account 
of their depredations on corn and other seeds; but a little attention will show that 
even a common sparrow in its destruction of the ordinary cabbage butterfly for the 
purpose of feeding its young ones, renders greater service to us than would recom¬ 
pense the cost of feeding it on good grain the whole year round. It appears to me 
this year that the injuries of caterpillars have been greater than I ever before ob¬ 
served. I attribute this to the destruction of small birds in the severe frost of last 
winter, when the eggs and pupse of the insects escaped, while the restraining power 
provided by nature was seriously curtailed. Instances have been stated where the 
introduction of one animal, injurious and unpleasing in itself, has been found to be 
the best method of getting rid of some other more unpleasing and injurious. It is 
probable that stricter attention to this subject would enable us to check the increase 
of those creatures from which we suffer most at present. Lamentable ignorance 
prevails on this subject. I had some time since a number of insects sent me charged 
with destroying wheat; they were Ichneumons, which had been hatched in the body 
of the destroyer, a Chlorops. Only one specimen of the latter was taken by the 
farmer, and he could not believe that this bright fellow was his enemy, and that the 
many black fellows were his active allies and friends. In the gardens in the south 
of Ireland are to be found lurid looking slugs, which are diligently chopped up by 
the gardener; yet not one of these slugs ever tasted any of his choice plants. On 
the contrary, their sole food is earth worms. How slow-moving creatures as they 
are can catch these much more active animals I know not; but, l have repeatedly 
proved the fact—finding either an earth worm half swallowed, or if entirely engulphed 
it has been cast up on placing the slug (Testacellus) in spirits. The frog, too, 
suffers from ignorance; it is accused of eating strawberries, and even gardeners will 
show you where they saw a frog bite out a piece ; but if you look at this hole you 
will find it a sort of cave, the exterior smaller than the interior, and hence it could 
not be bitten out. The real fact being that the frog had with a dash of his tongue 
just licked out a little black slug which had entrenched itself in the fruit, thus ren¬ 
dering a positive service to the man to whose ignorance it fell a victim. 
The hedgehog, too, is destroyed for eating apples, while the fact is no hedgehog 
ever eat an apple; it feeds chiefly on worms, but will eat a frog, mouse, small bird, 
or any other animal it may happen to get hold of. Thus, we have many examples 
of ignorance which it is the business of a zoologist to dispel; while we have great 
reason to think that there are many applications of zoology yet to be learned, such 
as I have alluded to, where one animal may be employed in our service to restrain 
another. We use cats to kill rats, ducks to eat snails, turkeys to destroy the larvae 
of cockchafers, and why not employ carnivorous beetles to destroy plant-eating 
insects ? and why not find a natural enemy for the turnip fly ? The list is a long 
one. 
CONCLUSION. 
Finally, I would earnestly urge on you to recollect that “union is strength 
we should have no rivalry either amongst ourselves or with other bodies, yet we 
may virtuously emulate and strive who shall do most. A desire to know all 
that human nature can know is one of the worthiest and loftiest of aspirations, 
and the most noble use, if it be not the positive duty of knowledge, is, to com¬ 
municate it to others. In the “ good old times” when benevolent fairies wished 
to show the vanity of human desires, they gave permission to individuals to 
have their three first wishes fulfilled : we read that the result was, to use the 
third wish to replace the party in statu quo as before the boon was granted. 
When a boy, I used to think I would overreach a fairy venturing to give me 
three wishes, by desiring, first, that I knew all that man can know; secondly, 
