Once more my attention has been drawn to an insect pest which is prevalent in the Shanghai are: I refer to what are popularly known as leather-jackets, which are the larvae of the well-known daddy long-legs or crane-fly of the genus Tipula, These grubs are found, sometimes in considerable numbers, in lawns, where they do much damage by feeding on the roots of the grass. There appears, however, to be some confusion amongst local horticulturists as to ju what is and what is not a leatherjacket. Several times I have received complaints that lawns are being destroyed by leather-jackets, with requests for information as to how to get rid of the pests; but when I have asked for specimens of the insects suspected of doing the damage, I have always received bottles or tins containing specimens of mole-cricket of the genus Gryllotalpa, which are insects of a totally different order from that of the leather-jackets. Now mole-crickets are known to be mainly devourers of other insects, and only occasionally do they make shift on a vegetable diet, probably when an insect diet is not available. It is" inconceivable, therefore, that the mole-crickets occurring in such numbers on certain lawns in Shanghai are damaging the latter by feeding on the grass roots. It is true that they may tear up the turf to a certain extent as they burrow about in the roots, and thereby seem to be causing damage to the lawns, but it is almost certain that they are searching for the grubs of other insects which are actually doing serious damage to the grass by feeding upon its roots. And of these it is also probable that-the worst offenders are actually the leather-jackets, the larvae of the daddy long-legs, which are wh: the mole-crickets are after. This belief supported by the fact that in one batch of specimens sent me as being the insects destroying a certain lawn in Shanghai there were both mole-crickets and leather-jackets. I happen to know that those responsible for the proper condition of the lawn in question had caused the native gardeners to destroy large numbers of the mole-crickets found in it, and I am wondering whether by so doing they had not done more harm than good. For the way it appears to me is that the reason why there were so many mole-crickets in the lawn wa> that there were also a large number of leatherjackets, which were doing more serious damage to the grass by devouring its roots. The mole-crickets, being considerably larger than the leather-jackets, and a good deal more active, were being blamed for what was really the work of the leather-jackets, upon which actually, they were waging a war of extermination, thus befriending the gardeners, although themselves doing a certain amount of supercial damage to the lawn. If I am right in my [diagnosis of the case, the mole-crickets should [not have been destroyed, but should have been left alone to carry out their work of getting rid ofthe leather-jackets. When this had been accomplished, the; too, would automatically disappear, since there would be nothing left for them to feed upon. Some years ago I was asked for a way of destroying crows on the Hungjao Golf Course, because, it was alleged,
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