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New Zealand Moth, with Fungus Plume
windings of the roads, or hidden by with long weapons, which at a distance the projection of some hillock. This might be taken for lances. mass of men always moves in order, disr.lsewhere, again, we find a lengthy train of pioneers, regularly posted, and to preserve the forest from ruin. In vanishing in the distance, all animated one part the woodmen and their famiwith feverish activity, are hollowing out lies, who are called out en masse, are only the soil, and making, for many leagues, occupied in crushing this deadly race long trenches which follow the roads and upon the trees. In another the others serve to isolate the different districts of are cutting off the infected districts by the forest from one another. ditches, in order to check the invasion of Or if the excursion be made by night, the caterpillars, which, when they have another spectacle awaits us. The whole devoured everything in one place, proforest seems to be on fire. In every part ceed in immense bands to invade the are burning great trees, erect and isolated, healthy localities. like huge threatening torches, the flame But in spite of so much labor, man is of which rises to the clouds and casts a bale- sometimes vanquished by the insect, and ful glare on all around. A few foresters, there only remains one extreme resource standing in silence, contemplate the pro- that of setting fire to the forest and burngress of the conflagration and watch its ing the invaders. All this war of extincravages. Lastly, at other times, as a final tion, of which we have just given a sucresource, the entire forest is given up a cinct account, is only directed against a prey to the flames, and whirlwinds of small number of our enemies, as for the fire, menacing and dreadful, spread on most part they are able to evade the every side; a woody region, formerly so fertile, is entirely devoured by fire and only an immense mountain of charcoal remains of all this mass of wealth.
A Formidable Foe. empire of the agriculturist, and their formidable army defies our weakness.
War Declared Against a Moth.
These great works are particularly undertaken against certain night-moths, We ask against what formidable enemy for they are simple phalænæ, which are such an army of men has been launched! to be classed among the most destructive. Whom are they going to attack with their ravagers of the forests. They are attacked rods which they brandish on all sides? in their three different phases; their What redoubtable aggressors are the caterpillars are crushed as they climb the others attempting to stay the march of, trees. with the long trenches they are scooping When after devouring a complete secout? Why these frightful fires in the tion of the wood, they pour forth in sermiddle of the night? Why this general ried columns to attack a sound part, conflagration? they fall into trenches hollowed out by This formidable enemy is at times only the pioneers, and when they fill these, a single insect, but it menaces everything they are stifled in a heap by covering with its destructive tooth, and men prefer them over with earth. The great fires decimating the forest to losing it entirely. lighted at night are directed against noc- One is really stupefied at seeing so many turnal moths. The glare attracts them, and such energetic efforts directed solely and they are soon scorched by the flame against the progeny of a simple butterfly, in consequence of going too near it. but its caterpillars sometimes multiply The pine bombyx enjoys the sad preto such an extent that it is necessary rogative of being placed in the front to exterminate them utterly in order rank of the enemies of our forests. It is. the most hurtful insect to the tree of sometimes in such abundance that at a which it bears the name. It especially distance one might take them for snowattacks wood from sixty to eighty years flakes drifting about. The regular exterold, and many examples are known of minations, of which we have previously forests at this age being totally destroyed spoken, are also directed against the by these caterpillars, which the German monk bombyx. A wonderful world is that of animal wood-growers call pine-spinners, on account of the numerous cocoons with life. There are certain birds, beasts and which they cover the leaves of this tree. insects that carry on trades, and are E
