26 
HALF HOURS WITH INSECTS. [Packard. 
accompanying figure* (12) taken from the Report of the En¬ 
tomological Society of Ontario, Canada, for 1871, represents 
the larva and pupa of a common form (Agriotes mancus) 
which is very injurious to wheat. The wire worm is readily 
known by its smooth, slightly flattened cylindrical hard red¬ 
dish body. Mr. Johnson Pettit, who has made us fully ac¬ 
quainted with the habits of the wheat wire worm, says that 
it lives three years in the larval state. He obtained a knowl¬ 
edge of its habits by planting wheat in flower pots. He 
Wheat Wire Worm. 
found the grubs in the autumn, “with the first cold weather 
they ceased to eat and were then placed in a sheltered situa¬ 
tion until the return of warm weather in the spring, when 
they were restored to the breeding cages. They soon gave 
evidence of being alive and possessing unimpaired appetites ; 
*1. Larva, enlarged a little over three times, a, a transverse section. 2. Un¬ 
der side of the head and three succeeding segments. 3. Margin of the front; a, 
position of the antennas. 4. Mandibles. 5. Legs. 6. Under side of the last 
segment of the body. 7. Upper and under side of tho pupa, the line between 
representing the actual length (after Horn). 
26 
