100 
TURNIP. 
slowly about tlie roots of aquatic plants, or occasionally coming out of 
the water and walking about the muddy banks, covered with dirt, 
whence the name of the typical genus; they often fly about in the hot 
sunshine. Whilst larva), their food consists of animal matter, but they 
are herbivorous in the perfect state.”* 
The characteristic of being covered with mud was certainly more 
or less present in the case of the specimens sent me ; and other cha¬ 
racteristics, such as being found both by streams and also in dry 
places, and also the beetles being vegetable feeders, will be found to 
agree with Mr. Milne’s careful observations, which I give as follows, 
combined from his letters of June 25th and July 2nd:—“When a 
field is sown in Turnips alongside one that produced Turnips the year 
before, not unfrequently a few of the drills nearest to the field which 
grew Turnips the year before are destroyed by this insect.” 
“ I have observed Turnip-fields attacked at the side next a former 
Turnip-field here and there throughout this part of the country for 
over thirty years. It is most seen in “crofts” (small farms), where 
the lots are in narrow stripes ; in some cases I have seen the half of a 
lot next the last year’s Turnip lot quite lialf-eaten. The mischief is 
done when the plants are small. “ They do not seem to fly much, but 
I have known them destroy a few drills where a small stream divided 
the last year’s Turnip-field from the present year’s one, and have 
frequently seen their effects where a public road intervened.” 
(Mr. Milne mentioned that in one case there was a dry stone dyke 
on each side of the road, in which it appeared possible that they might 
have liybernated). “ They seem to attack the edges of fields in a dry 
situation, and at a distance from water.” 
“ In my garden here I happen to be cultivating Turnips in pots 
containing soils transported from different districts of the country 
(to test the effects of different pliosphatic manures on the different 
soils); and the specimens sent you, and the five I now enclose, are 
picked from the plants in these pots. Single plants in each pot only 
are grown, but in another box I enclose a small Turnip-leaf from 
which I picked two beetles evidently in the act of consuming the leaf.” 
—J. M. (This leaf is figured at p. 99). 
Prevention and remedy. — Mr. Milne mentions that:—“ Some 
farmers think that a line of Oat- or Barley-chaff between the former 
Turnip-field and the young Turnips will prevent injury ” ; but this is 
the only idea even, of a remedy, which I can find, and until we can 
make sure of where the maggots feed, the only hope to check or 
prevent attack seems to lie in the use of dressings such as are known 
to be of service in the case of other Turnip-leaf infestation, as those of 
Plea-beetle or Sawfly-caterpillar. 
* Westwood's ‘ Classification of Insects,’ vol. i., p. 121, 
