The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-01-26
A CHAPTER ABOUT BUGS.
THE STRANGE H1IBTTS or
INSECTS EXPLAINED.

Room--Boautles OF Natural History.
The reporter Of u Northern paper
gives an interesting account of a
visit paid to Mr.. Andrew S. Fuller,
an entomologist, living at Ridges
wood, New Jersey, who has spent
many years collecting bugs and
studying their habits. The follow.
ing is description of what the
reporter saw:
His Office is neatly furnished. A
coal stove and plain writing table
occupy the centre Of the room, and
a fine scientific library is ranged
against the wall. Cases of bugs in
sliding drawers stare the visitor in
the face, and strange eounds are
frequently heard from old logs and
dccaying pieces Of wood piled in
the room. Each is worked by the
grub of some bug or beetle whose
habits are the particular study of
Mr.. Fuller. There are in the room
125 cases Of beetles alone, contain ,
ing 1850 species up to 1878. How
many have boon added to his collcc~
ton since that time is not known,
but he thinks several hundred. He
has secured many snout bcatles
mentioned in the work of Lo Conte
and Horn recently published.
In answer to various questions,
Nj. Fuller said thnt 10 collection
Included all tEo known species Of
beetles in tho United States.
About 10000 kjads have been
classified and described, and nddi-
tions ore constantly being made.
made. There are probably not loss
than $4,000 species in the country,
$4,000 Of which are yet to DO dis
covered.
"Do you confne yourself to the
collection OF beetles alone :" asked
tho writer.
"Most bug collectors" he an
swered, "study during lifo but one
order or family. I am especially
Interested in tho beetle. Taking
beetles, moths, butterflies, bugs,
flies, ants, etc. together, there must
be over 100000 different species
inhabiting the United States alono.
1t is supposed that over 100000
kinds OF plants are scattered over
tho world, and five distinct species
of insects prey upon each plant.
This would give us 100000 kinds
of insects, and there are probably
many moro. Taking this view Of
the matter, it is no wonder that
individual bug collectors give their
timo to the study Of but one order
or family.
"One family of beetlos,' continued
Mr.. Fuller, "worlSs exclusively at
trees Their grubs live and bore
into the timber. There, for in
stance, arc the long-horned beetles,
ISL species being already named
and described in the United States.
Every farmer knows the apple tlee
borer, which is one Of the long
horned family"
"TnE DEsTRUcTIvENEss OF BEETLES
said Mr.. Fuller, "may bo imagined
when tell you, that some of their
grubs are as large as man S finger,
and live in the trunk of tree from
ten to twenty years, before chang
ing their shape and becoming
beetles. All these years they aro
constantly feeding. They go bor-
ing through tho trees like augcrs,
and leave trails as crooked and
devious rs the path of q ship in q
headwind. I have known grubs to
bore over fifty feet in oak trees,
before they were turned into
beetles. But these grubs have
their enemies. The little wood
rocker eats the eggs which he finds
on the bark of the tree, and nips
the grub rs he is working his way
in. AS the forests are cut down,
woodpeckers become scarcer and
grubs increase"
"One might suppose" continued
the buggist, "when grub is en-
cased in two inches of solid green
hard maple, that he is pretty well
protected from the outside world.
But IT, ia not 40. for here wa hoye q