ticular districts, they become an opprefsive scourge that produces much misery among the people. Fortunately, these ravages are but temporary and local, being moderated by circumstances in nature with which we are as yet in a great measure unacquainted.

As the name of fly is indiscriminately bestowed by the uninformed part of mankind as a generic term including all winged insects; so the term grub has been adopted as a general name to denote all the worm-like larvæ that take up their residence in the earth; maggot to denote those that live in the interior of fruits, and in animal substances; and those are called caterpillars that subsist chiefly on leaves. It follows, that the larvæ of this insect will rank among the grubs, sometimes called white worms, to distinguish them more clearly from the earth worm, which, in its form, colour, and other efsential qualities, is totally different from all of the grub kind.

I do not find, that this particular species of grub has obtained any specific English name; though in France, where its ravages, it would appear, are much more frequent than with us, the grubs are usually called mans; sometimes also mulots, chevrettes, tacs, munts, turcs, vers blanc, &c.; and the flies hannetons, in some provinces barbottes, bardoises, &c. As soon as the worm issues from the egg, it seizes upon such roots as it finds nearest to it, and devours them, living all the summer under the thin coat of vegetable mould near the surface; but, as winter approaches, it descends deeper into the earth, and, penetrating directly downwards, retires beyond the reach

without food, till the return of spring, when the warmth of the season invites it to ascend and begin its ravages anew upon the roots that spread themselves through the tender mould near the surface. In this manner it proceeds for three or five succefsive seasons, changing its skin at least once a year. It is not till the end of the fourth year that the larvæ are metamorphosed; for then, towards the end of autumn, they go deep into the earth, sometimes to the depth of a fathom, and there spin themselves a smooth case, in which, after quitting their last skin, they change into the pupa or chrysalis. The pupa remains under this form all winter, till the month of February, when it comes out a perfect scarabeus, soft and white. It is not till the month of May, however, that the parts become hardened: they.come out of the earth in the day-time; and thus we often find in the earth perfect cock-chaffer flies; which has made many persons think, that these insects live from one year to another, and pass the winter in the earth to protect them from the cold.

These worms, though they are always white, yet are sometimes found verging, more or lefs, wholly, or in part, into a bluish tint, which has given rise to a popular notion in Sweden, that the nature of the ensuing season may be discovered from the kind of tint that these worms afsume. Hence they have obtained the vulgar name of bemarkelse-mask, or prognosticworm, because these people imagine that they can see by them whether the winter will be lasting or not, or whether it will be interrupted by great thaws. It is the different colours of the larvæ that they think

ticular districts, they become an opprefsive scourge that produces much misery among the people. Fortunately, these ravages are but temporary and local, being moderated by circumstances in nature with which we are as yet in a great measure unacquainted.

As the name of fly is indiscriminately bestowed by the uninformed part of mankind as a generic term including all winged insects; so the term grub has been adopted as a general name to denote all the worm-like larvæ that take up their residence in the earth; maggot to denote those that live in the interior of fruits, and in animal substances; and those are called caterpillars that subsist chiefly on leaves. It follows, that the larvæ of this insect will rank among the grubs, sometimes called white worms, to distinguish them more clearly from the earth worm, which, in its form, colour, and other efsential qualities, is totally different from all of the grub kind.

I do not find, that this particular species of grub has obtained any specific English name; though in France, where its ravages, it would appear, are much more frequent than with us, the grubs are usually called mans; sometimes also mulots, chevrettes, tacs, munts, turcs, vers blanc, &c.; and the flies hannetons, in some provinces barbattes, bardoises, &c. As soon as the worm issues from the egg, it seizes upon such roots as it finds nearest to it, and devours them, living all the summer under the thin coat of vegetable mould near the surface; but, as winter approaches, it descends deeper into the earth, and, penetrating directly downwards, retires beyond the reach

without food, till the return of spring, when the warmth of the season invites it to ascend and begin its ravages anew upon the roots that spread themselves through the tender mould near the surface. In this manner it proceeds for three or five succefsive seasons, changing its skin at least once a year. It is not till the end of the fourth year that the larvæ are metamorphosed; for then, towards the end of autumn, they go deep into the earth, sometimes to the depth of a fathom, and there spin themselves a smooth case, in which, after quitting their last skin, they change into the pupa or chrysalis. The pupa remains under this form all winter, till the month of February, when it comes out a perfect scarabeus, soft and white. It is not till the month of May, however, that the parts become hardened: they. come out of the earth in the day-time; and thus we often find in the earth perfect cock-chaffer flies; which has made many persons think, that these insects live from one year to another, and pass the winter in the earth to protect them from the cold.

These worms, though they are always white, yet are sometimes found verging, more or lefs, wholly, or in part, into a bluish tint, which has given rise to a popular notion in Sweden, that the nature of the ensuing season may be discovered from the kind of tint that these worms afsume. Hence they have obtained the vulgar name of bemarkelse-mask, or prognosticworm, because these people imagine that they can see by them whether the winter will be lasting or not, or whether it will be interrupted by great thaws. It is the different colours of the larvæ that they think

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serve as a prognostic in this case; but this bluish tint, wherever it does appear, is only produced by the internal parts seen through the transparent skin, and are nothing more than the intestines and the aliment contained in them, which will, of course, be different according to the nature of the aliment on which they have lately subsisted. However, when these simple people see much blue, they say that the winter will be mild; when the anterior part is white, and the hinder part blue, they think the cold will be more intense at the commencement of the winter than afterwards; and so on of the rest: but these are only tales fitted to amuse the lower clafses of the people.

These scarabei are seen during the whole summer, especially towards the end of May, and in June, flying in the evening towards sun-set, particularly where there are trees. They seem to be a heedlefs kind of animal, that fly briskly without regarding much where they go, and therefore become extremely troublesome to persons who walk in places that they frequent, by their darting frequently, and with force, upon the face and other parts of the body, which, where naked, proves very teasing. They eat the leaves of most species of trees, such as the oak, the lime, the beech, and the willow, as well as all sorts of fruit trees; so that where they multiply fast they make terrible havoc; which happens but too often in France and other countries of Europe.

In the United Provinces of the Low Countries, the children amuse themselves by attaching a long thread to one of the hinder feet, and leave them thus to fly