COCKCHAFFER, OR MELOLONTHA. 101 
plants, of which they destroy vast quan- 
tities, particalarly of young corn ; but 
even in this state they have their ene- 
mies, though from their situation you 
might think they were secure. Can you 
guess who are those enemies ? 
Lucy. Perhaps other worms, that are 
stronger : indeed I should say birds, if 
they were not concealed in the ground. 
Mother. Your second guess, however, 
is right. Crows are particularly fond 
of these larvae, and discover them by ob- 
serving where the plants look sickly ; 
then, with their strong bills, they dig into 
the earth near the roots of such plants, 
and seldom fail to find a rich repast. 
One year it Wcis thought that the crows 
were doing infinite mischief to the 
greater part of the potatoe crops, and 
every means were taken by the short- 
sighted farmers to destroy these busy 
animals ; at length some more accurate 
observers perceived, that they were em- 
ployed as much in the service of the 
