Vol. XXVl] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 267 



1912, I discovered, a few rods from my home, the only ash 

 tree of which I know as within a radius of two miles and from 

 it took 27 living tityus and from the ground many dead speci- 

 mens. I noticed that the branches of the ash bore fresh long 

 gashes through the bark ; also that several of the big wasp 

 Sphecins speciosus were flying about the upper limbs. In 1913 

 I saw at this ash tree not one tityus, but found Xyloryctes 

 satyrus burrowing at the base of the trunk. In July, 1914, I 

 took from this one ash tree 387 live tityus and observed on the 

 bark of the branches the deep scratches which the beetles had 

 made or were making and, at the abandoned scars, wasps, 

 Arachnophroctonus atro.v or Sphecins speciosus, were eagerly 

 at work evidently feeding on some exudation of the wounded 

 inner bark, though to me the spots looked dry. At times two 

 female speciosus would contend and fall together to or near 

 the ground in combat ; at times a wasp would attack a beetle 

 as if in hungry impatience it would drive it from the coveted 

 feast. Only three or four pairs of tityus were mating, but on 

 the ground a few of each sex were burrowing at the base of 

 the ash and also at nearby dogwoods. I also took from the 

 ground some male Xyloryctes. 



On August 4, I observed a large number of fresh scars on 

 the rough outer bark of the ash trunk and two or three half- 

 inch holes freshly bored to the wood. At one of these holes, 

 three feet from the ground, a female tityus was at work but 

 it did not attempt to oviposit nor could I find an egg. The 

 beetle was restless and leaving the hole began a spiral climb 

 to the branches, ten feet above, and as it moved it would 

 here and there, with an upward push of its head, remove a 

 crumb of bark. The object of this or of the half-inch holes 

 I could not conceive and of course I left the beetle to mother 

 a next season's progeny, which I suspect requires two years 

 for maturing. November 13, I dug at the base of the ash tree 

 and found two male Xyloryctes hibernating (also three nymphs 

 of Cicada sayi}, but no grubs and no trace of tityus. The roots 

 were all sound. 



Dynastes tityus varies remarkably in size. Males are from 



