monly round, describing a circle in the air; from which some think they have obtained the name of molinaars, that is to say, millers: the probability is, however, that they have obtained that name from the greyish hairs, resembling powder on a slight look, with which their bodies are covered all over; for we find they are, in some parts of England, called millers, where no such practice is known. The children of the country of the Netherlands make a little trade of them, by selling them to the children of the city, who have not an opportunity of searching for them themselves; and M. de Geer, from whom this little anecdote is taken, says, that he himself, when a boy, purchased many of them.

Such are the particulars that have hitherto come to my knowledge respecting this noxious insect; which, considering the important part that it performs in this universe, are fewer than might have been expected. In the year 1785 the following provinces in France, viz. Burgundy, Champagne, Picardie, L'Angumois, Hainault, L'Orleannois, Blesois, and particularly the Isle of France, suffered prodigious distress from the extensive ravages of this insect, insomuch that the attention of government was called to that subject, and premiums were offered to any person who should sug gest the most effectual means of destroying it; but their premiums were offered in vain. A memoir, indeed, was produced by a Mr. Adam, Emeritus professor in the university of Caen, which gave an exact description of the insect, and proposed some measures for destroying it. This pamphlet was printed and distributed, at the expence of government, through all

the provinces; but when it was put into the hands of practical agriculturalists, it was found, like too many speculations of literary men, to be wholly incapable of being reduced to practice, and was, therefore, disregarded. The Society of Arts in London also has, for about twenty years past, held forth a premium for the best account of this insect, and the means of checking its ravages, but without having produced one successful claimant. This indicates a wonderful degree of inattention, among profefsed naturalists, to the most important department of natural history, viz. that which, by developing the natural propensities of the different objects, tends to the diminution of the evils that they produce, and augmenting the benefits that might be derived from them. But, though succefs has not hitherto attended these exertions, it ought not to produce despondency. Plus ultra; let us still try to go forward; by a lucky chance we may, perhaps, be enabled to make some progrefs. If we give over the effort, we must inevitably be doomed never to advance. Let me, then, beseech my readers to rouse themselves from the slumbers in which they have too long indulged, and to exert themselves to rescue the name of naturalist from that sort of obloquy which it bears among so great a portion of the practical departments of men, by shewing that it is by their aid chiefly that evils of the nature here stated can be obviated. I know that much may be done, in this and many other departments, by a well-directed attention steadily pursued.

The learned profefsor, considering that the grubs

to the surface mould in the spring, advises, that the ploughing should be deferred till the spring season, when the grubs will be turned up with the furrow, and may then be picked up and carried off the ground. Practical men answer, that ploughing must go forward in the winter while the weather will permit, or the necessary operations will be so much retarded, as to render it impofsible for them to get the seed put into the ground in proper time; besides, it is only a very small proportion of those grubs that are in the ploughable mould that could thus be discovered; by far the greater portion being turned over with the mould itself, without being exposed to view; so that this process would be but little efficacious even in ploughed fields. But could these ploughed fields be even thus totally cleared, the evil would only be partially remedied; for the grubs abound in grafs fields, perhaps, yet more than in corn lands; also in woodlands, orchards, and vineyards, none of which admit of being treated after this manner; nor can land sown with wheat or rye, which require to be put into the ground in autumn, admit of it: from all these fields, then, as from extensive nurseries, these insects would ifsue forth in swarms so as to frustrate the labour of the husbandman upon his ploughed fields.

The professor again directs, that boys, and girls, and women, should be hired to pick up the grubs after the plough. Practical men say, that boys and girls will be so careless and inattentive, as to perform the work in a slovenly manner, and let many, even of the few that were turned up, escape; not to mention the expence that would attend this procefs, and the diffi

culty, on many occasions, in finding hands, together with the inefficacy of the measure, as above stated, could it be even faithfully performed. From these considerations the learned profefsor's advice met with little respect among those for whose benefit it was intended.

Some of these practical men observed, that the last part of the process might be much better performed by another set of labourers, who sometimes offered their services without any pay, and were infinitely more alert in the discharge of that duty than either children or women could be, or even philosophers themselves, were they to attempt the task. These are rooks, magpies, jays, and all the varieties of that clafs of birds, who seem to consider this kind of food as the most delicate morsel they can find, and therefore search for it with the most patient avidity. Some of these birds, indeed, seem to be endowed with the faculty of distinguishing this insect even when it is out of sight, and buried to the depth of several inches in the mould (an instance of which has been given in a former part of this work); which shews, that these animals are not only of greater use than any human being could be in picking up these insects after the plough, but that they can even discover and pick them up in grafs land, wood lands, and orchards, wherever they abound. Great care ought then to be taken to cherish and protect these birds; for, as their sole employment, for nearly three months before the corn ripens, is to search for insects of this sort for food, the havoc a numerous flock must make among these insects

found a nest of five young jays, remarked, that each of these birds, while yet very young, consumed fifteen at least of these full-sized grubs in a day, and of course would require many more of a smaller size; say that, on an average of sizes, they consumed twenty apiece; this, for the five, makes one hundred. Each of the parents consume, say fifty;, so that this pair and family consume two hundred every day. This in three months amounts to twenty thousand in one season; but, as the grub continues in that state four seasons, this single pair, with their own family alone, without reckoning their descendants after the first year, would destroy eighty thousand grubs. Let us suppose that the half, viz. forty thousand, are females, and as it is known that they usually lay about two hundred eggs each, it will appear, that no lefs than eight millions of grubs have been destroyed, or prevented from being hatched, by the labours of this single family of jays. It is by reasoning in this way, that we learn to know of what importance it is to attend to the economy of nature, and to be cautious how we derange it by any of our short-sighted and futile operations.

Not only are there a great diversity of birds who watch the time of these grubs appearing near the surface, with an eye as keen as the fisherman watches the arrival of the shoals of herrings, and which it is our duty to search out and to cherish; but there are, doubtless, many other creatures below ground, did we know them, who search for them in their secret retreats, while they are far beyond the reach of men and birds, and there devour them; for this is an universal law of nature. We are, however, as yet in a