. The life of North American insects [microform]. Insects; Insectes. ORDER I. BEETLES. 39 a large amount of manure, which he loses if his cattle arc allowed to ramble in the woods and pastures; and, lastly, by having no inclosures, except around his garden and or- chards (and hedges are even here far better than fences), he will beautify his whole estate and country by depriving it of that confined and prison-like appearance which wood fences and stone walls necessarily give it. It is a very difficult matter to eradicate inveterate super- stitions, and it is equally hard to break up old habits
. The life of North American insects [microform]. Insects; Insectes. ORDER I. BEETLES. 39 a large amount of manure, which he loses if his cattle arc allowed to ramble in the woods and pastures; and, lastly, by having no inclosures, except around his garden and or- chards (and hedges are even here far better than fences), he will beautify his whole estate and country by depriving it of that confined and prison-like appearance which wood fences and stone walls necessarily give it. It is a very difficult matter to eradicate inveterate super- stitions, and it is equally hard to break up old habits. Notwithstanding the plow has been used from time almost immemorial, the inhabitants of St. Domingo have not yet adopted it, but still prefer the hoe and spade, and to hoe and plant an acre of Indian com is there the work of four weeks for one man. But " a word to the wise should be ; With regard to wood-destroying insects in general, it must be remarked that they are of the greatest importance in the tropics, as well as in those uninhabited countries where many hundred miles are often covered with impene- trable forests, where hurricanes, tempests, and earthquakes break down gigantic trees, which, if left alone, would not decay for years, but which are reduced to dust in a short time by wood-eating insects, and a new and vigorous vege- tation springs up from the soil made fertile by that dust. This phenomenon may be observed to a certain extent even in our own woods. One of these Beetles, which, in com- pany with its offspring, feeds on rotten wood, is The Horned Passalus {Passalus cornntus).—This Beetle is about 1^ inches long. It is black, and has a slender body. Its antennas are rather more denticulated than those of tlie Homed Passalus. Figure r. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1864
