COLEOPTERA. 103 



plant in this country. The flea-beetles conceal themselves during 

 the winter, in dry places, under stones, in tufts of withered grass, 

 and in chinks of walls. They lay their eggs in the spring, upon 

 the leaves of the plants upon which they feed. The larvae, or 

 young, of the smaller kinds burrow into the leaves, and eat the 

 soft pulpy substance under the skin, forming therein little winding 

 passages, in which they finally complete their transformations. 

 Hence the plants suffer as much from the depredations of the 

 larvae, as from those of the beetles, a fact that has too often been 

 overlooked. The larvae of the larger kinds are said to live ex- 

 posed upon the surface of the leaves which they devour, till they 

 have come to their growth, and to go into the ground, where they 

 are changed to pupae, and soon afterwards to beetles. The min- 

 ing larvae, the only kinds which are known to me from personal 

 examination, are little slender grubs, tapering towards each end, 

 and provided with six legs. They arrive at maturity, turn to 

 pupae, and then to beetles in a few weeks. Hence there is a con- 

 stant succession of these insects, in their various states, through- 

 out the summer. The history of the greater part of our Halticas 

 or flea-beetles is still unknown ; I shall, therefore, only add, to 

 the foregoing general remarks, descriptions of two or three com- 

 mon species, and suggest such remedies as seem to be useful in 

 protecting plants from their ravages. 



The most destructive species in this vicinity is that which 

 attacks the cucumber plant as soon as the latter appears above the 

 ground, eating the seed-leaves, and thereby destroying the plant 

 immediately. Supposing this to be an undescribed insect, I for- 

 merly named it Haltica Cucumeris, the cucumber flea-beetle ; but 

 Mr. Say subsequently informed me that it was the pubescens of 

 Illiger, so named because it is very slightly pubescent or downy. 

 It is only one sixteenth of an inch long, of a black color, with 

 clay-yellow antennae and legs, except the hindmost thighs, which 

 are brown. The upper side of the body is covered with punc- 

 tures, which are arranged in rows on the wing-cases ; and there is 

 a deep transverse furrow across the hinder part of the thorax. 



The wavy-striped flea-beetle, Haltica striolata*, may be seen 



* Crioceris striolata, Fabricius. 



