WIKEWOKM AND CLICK BEETLE. 
51 
north and west by the Atlantic. It is distant from Kirkwall four 
miles by sea. 
Good crops are general when spring is warm and dry. The prin¬ 
cipal manure used for ley ground is seaweed , which probably accounts 
for the absence of Wireworm, which is quite unknown to the farmers 
in Orkney.—(Tlios. McDonald, Kirkwall, Orkney.) 
In regard to seaweed it is largely used all along the sea coast, 
where it can be procured. It gives good crops of all kinds, 
especially Turnips and Grass. Corn does well in dry seasons, 
but in wet it is liable to lodge, and the corn and straw is 
inferior. Seaweed is destructive to all kinds of insects, and I 
doubt not to the Wireworms also.—(John Sutherland, Berridale, 
Caithness.) 
Isle of Mull.—The Wireworm is sometimes troublesome in the 
gardens, but on the farm crops it does very little damage ; in fact it 
is very seldom seen. The farmers and crofters use a great quantity 
of seaweed, which I have no doubt is the reason why there is so little 
Wireworm.—(C. Grierson, Isle of Mull.) 
From inquiry made at some of the coast farms it appears they are 
never troubled by Wireworm. It is quite possible that the seaweed 
applied to the soil is a preventive.—(D. Husband, Struthers, Cupar, 
Fife.) 
Bodorgan, Anglesey.—As far as my information and observation 
go Wireworm is not very troublesome in this district. Seaweed is 
used a good deal by some of the small farmers about here, principally 
for Potatoes in sandy soil.—(Joseph Ellans, Anglesey.) 
Rooks, &c. 
Rooks serviceable by clearing large numbers of Wireworms, but also 
frequently injurious by 'pulling up the plants (especially Turnips after 
being singled) in search of their food. (For further observations 
regarding Rooks see tables and abstract of Isle of Man Report.)—Rotes 
as to usefulness of other birds, and also of Moles. 
In the month of May I opened the crops of several “ Crows,” as 
we call them in Scotland (Rooks in England), and found them full of 
Wireworms. Earlier in the season I killed a Crow feeding on some 
damp grass land, and found about three dozen Tipula (Daddy long- 
legs) grubs in its crop. There is no doubt of the Crow, or Rook, being 
a valuable friend to the farmer in the spring months. Taking the 
seasons round, I am of the opinion, after long and careful observation, 
that the Rook does more good than harm to the farmer. No doubt if 
the birds are allowed to become too numerous, and insect food fails, 
they will fall on the crops rather heavily, but the cure is easy in that 
case, and in my experience of nearly a quarter of a century in 
