The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-07-16
Insects killing Insects.

It is often found that human interior.
ence with the arrangements Of animal
lite does more harm than benefit. Many
q time the destruction of birds as the
supposed foes OF the farmer has left the d"
ground free for the worse devaslations
OF unchecked insect life. In a recent i
article, commenting on some of Sir.
John Lubbock's chronological obserya-
tons, the writer says: "f..t .,r.r IN.
.'While men have been devisipg
scientific schemes for the amelioration
of insect plaques, and fondly imagining
that upon ourselves has rested the bur-
den of keeping the animal world within
proper limits, the insects themselves
have taken the matter in hand and
been actively CARRYING into effect the
plans and suggestions which. if left to
US. would never have got beyond the
preliminary stages Of consideration. In
the orchard the fruit farmer watches
with lamentationR the depreciation Of
the wasps among his plurns, and his u
children come crying to him with the
tale OF their sutlerings, how they picked
up a fallen pear and were stung by
the wasp inside. Yet all this time,
so naturalists tell us, there are
wasps that sting wasps and hornets that
lie in wait among the tempting fruit to
carry off or decapitate the smaller dep
redators. In the hot summer days flies
annoy US. but it is comfort. 70 know
that whenever they sit down on bushes
their enemies are on the watch for
them; that not only spiders catch and
eat them, but winged things Of their
own kind devour them readily. The
cockroach is an abomination in kitch."
en-, but if he ventures to walk abroad .
the Pompil,4s takes him BY the nose
and, having stung him senseleesSs'' . draggs
him away to some convenient chlnK
that serves it for a larder. The spiders
that creep about where they have no
! business to DE, and spin threads acros:
! pathways, SO as to catch the faces q
passers.by, are constantly beset BY W
foes, who treat them with delightful
contempt, using their fat. round bodies
to lay their eggs in, and even stor. !.
ing them up like apples to feed the
young flies when they are Matched.
The caterpillars that destroy our
| vegetables aud work havoc in the
flower garden are not the irresponsible
tyrants that they seem, for they go ID
mortal terror Of their lives all day l9ng,
not only srom other caterpilllars that = es !,
them, but from, a number OF winged
creatures that take q trdculent dellgns
in their tender bodies. The beetle whom
4 we call cockchafer, and which IA
France does almost incredible damage lam
has another beetle told OFT to it, whose
4 only duty is to hunt and kill It. lne
wbeat-tly, snug though it THINKS |p s',l ltssl
tucked up inside the husks 81 the gsa1u.
4 is found out BY a special Ny whose
whole work in life is to hy1ts essR K'
in the others body; and even tho gaIl'
flies INSIDE their secret chambers w
i cloyer.hv hidden in the little d9wel'
/ and the wireworn under grouE!nyq1,,I arc ),
each of them the particular objectss q, o.
pursuit and slaughter to appo'nteu ~.
sects. To this com olete chain OF cr!mo
and punishment man can add nothing:
but he can at any rate take the erosI y
hint which the insects give HIM sn i"i
assist them to indulge their oenen''''
appetites.' ~ l7l,n0 all io q. ls"&