44 
CORN. 
also notes from Harlington, Middlesex ; from near Bishop’s Teignton, 
S. Devon; from near Ipswich ; and I had also specimens brought me 
from a field near St. Albans. It is of some interest, in connection with 
the three first-named localities, to note that John Curtis mentions, in 
his ‘ Farm Insects,’ p. 217, that he himself saw or was aware of the 
presence of the beetle in Hants, and the Isle of Wight, and near 
London, as well as in Norfolk and Kent. 
The first communication I received on the subject of this beetle- 
grub was at the end of January, from Mr. Robert Newman, of the 
Church Farm, Harlington, Middlesex, accompanied by specimens of 
the grub, still too young to be fully coloured, and also a few blades of 
the injured corn. He observed :—“ The smallest of them I found 
eating into the stalk ; others were loose in the land.” 
On Feb. 7th, Mr. Edw. Carter reported, from Puckpool House, 
Ryde, Isle of Wight, with similar specimens accompanying :—“ I send 
some grubs that are eating my Wheat; they have almost entirely 
destroyed three or four acres of Wheat of a tenant of mine,—oddly, 
they have attacked his red Wheat, but not his white, in the same field. 
I also send some plants that have been killed by the grubs.” 
In this case the plants were bitten through, or, in one instance, the 
outer leaf frayed out into long films. 
On Feb. 11th, specimens of grubs damaging Wheat after “bent” 
were brought me from New House Farm, near St. Albans, by Mr. W. 
A. Dickinson. These beetle-grubs appeared like those from Harlington, 
and from near Ryde, excepting that they were darker. I placed them, 
and some from near Ryde, on turf in a flower-pot, and in a short time 
they all disappeared; some of them went down at once in the damp 
ground. About ten days later Mr. Dickinson called again with a few 
more specimens of the larva3. He mentioned that almost the whole 
of the Wheat was destroyed, and they were ploughing it up. Also 
that there were few grubs now to be seen, but that the Wagtails 
followed the plough in such numbers, he thought most likely they were 
clearing these grubs away. 
The two following letters, forwarded to me by the Editor of the 
‘ Mark Lane Express ’ for reply (and which I give through his courtesy), 
are of much interest. It will be observed that they speak of the attack 
as being of a serious nature, and extending over some miles of country, 
and also of it not having been previously observed. 
The following communication was sent by Mr. Geo. Marsh, from 
The Home Farm, East End, Lymington, on Feb. 15th, 1888 :— 
“ I have enclosed two specimens of maggots, or small worms, found 
about 1^ in. deep in our Wheat-fields in this locality. As none of us 
here are able to identify them, it occurred to me that perhaps you 
could afford some information respecting them. Acres and acres 
