sell] WAYS OF THE WESTERN FLOWER BEETLE 333 



long slender sensitive antennas. In working out their field habits 

 we marked the beetles by painting a dash of red India ink, usually 

 on the wing covers. By marking it in a peculiar manner it was 

 possible to recognize a certain beetle wherever found. 

 j K These insects seem to have something of a "homing instinct" 

 for they will return to a particular plant for several successive 

 nights. When carried a mile away, at night, one beetle returned 

 three different nights, but for some reason, it got lost on the fourth 

 and was never found. Because a particular male beetle was found 

 on a certain canna every day for twenty days he was nick-named 

 "jerry-on-the-job." Two females called "the twins" that were 

 found safely domiciled on another canna were on hand every day 

 for eleven days. 



The expertness of the flower beetle in making its escape from a 

 plant is remarkable. Frequently one will drop to the ground 

 when the plant is disturbed but its tactics are always problematic. 

 It may simply dodge to the other side of the stalk like a squirrel 

 or instantly take wing just as you are looking for it to fall to the 

 ground. Again how expertly it catches on a branch just long 

 enough to give it a swing to another branch farther around the 

 plant so that after two or three such maneuvers it lands safely 

 at the opposite side of the plant. Where plants are close together 

 it may simply swing by a series of acrobatic "stunts" from the 

 upper branch of one to the lower branch of another. Then it 

 will begin rising by a series of jumps, walking out on a lower 

 branch and jumping to a low hanging leaf of the next higher; 

 that branch gained, it jumps to the next above and so on until 

 it has reached a satisfactory place. Sometimes it will only part- 

 ially spread its wings and sail from a higher to a lower branch that 

 is some distance away, — flying-squirrel fashion. 



The beetles are very sensitive to light and if the light is very 

 strong they become nervous. When one beetle is confined in a 

 glass case it will learn to permit the food to be thrust through the 

 opening without attempting to escape. By a series of experiments 

 it was found that they were sensitive to certain musical sounds. 

 One male that would usually elevate his body and raise his wing- 

 covers when a certain high pitched note was sounded on the auto- 

 harp was styled "the musician." They pay no attention to the 

 lower tones but when the higher tones are produced they usually 

 show some reaction, although it may be only a sort of nervousness. 



