PREDACEOUS BEETLES. 105 



The two female beetles were placed in separate breeding 

 jars in the insectary and supplied with food, but very little 

 was eaten until June 2, when males were placed in the jars. 

 One female began laying June 6, finished July 14, having 

 deposited eighty-one eggs, and died on the 24th. The other 

 female began laying on the same date as the former, but 

 finished June 25, dying July 3, having deposited one hun- 

 dred and fifteen eggs. The largest number laid in a single 

 dav was nineteen, which is the maximum noted for this 



J 



species. From the above it will be seen that these two 

 females were kept in confinement for over a year, and 

 that one, if not both, deposited eggs two years in suc- 

 cession. This naturally brings up the question of the 

 number of annual broods of this insect. From the fact that 

 the egg-laying season ranges from the first of June to the 

 middle of August, I am inclined to believe from present 

 knowledge that the greater portion of the species winter as 

 adults which have seldom laid eggs the previous year. 



Observations in the field show that after the last part of 

 June the occurrence of this species is very rare. Mr. "VV. 

 C. Colt, a special inspector of the Board, with the aid of 

 two men captured thirty-one specimens of this species June 

 24, while at w r ork in a colony of the gypsy moth in Brook- 

 line, and informs me that previous to and about this time 

 the beetles were abundant. On the following da}' he noticed 

 a female laying her eggs, for which purpose she had selected 

 a place about half an inch below the surface of the ground. 

 Mr. Colt further states that from a week after this date to the 

 end of the season not a single beetle was observed. This 

 species has also been found during the past year in Saugus, 

 Winchester, Medford and elsewhere. 



Jars partly filled with earth were used for close breeding 

 with about the same amount of success as during the pre- 

 vious season, the results, however, substantiating the facts 

 which were observed last year. Much of the material con- 

 fined in jars was attacked by mites, while the outdoor 

 experiments were rendered almost useless by the attacks of 

 ants. 



In order to test the practicability of rearing the beetles out 

 of doors, a suitable spot was selected beside two small oak 



