278 



THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



niches, which are invariably cut in the bast and bark. The 

 black circle at the foot of the gallery is the entrance, a 

 shows the gallery as cut in the bark, b shows its counter- 

 part on the root itself. In b it will be seen that the &^^ 

 niches are absent and that the shape of the gallery is much 

 less definite. 



f,in 



Fig. 2. Mother Gallery of H. cunicularius, Er., on Spruce Root. 



a. Gallery cut in hark showing egg niches. b. Gallery shown on root. 



The Larval Galleries. 



The larval galleries arise at right angles to the mother 

 gallery, from the egg niches. At first they are distinct but 

 only for a very short distance, as they become confused and 

 ultimately form a large cavity gnawed in the bark. Later 

 on, however, they may emerge again to end in well-defined 

 pupating pits or chambers. 



Habits. 



//. cmiicularius is essentially a soil-dweller, breeding in 

 spruce roots just below the soil level. It prefers roots from 

 half an inch to two inches in diameter, but also breeds on 

 larger and smaller roots. 



Its "feeding" ground, which is distinct from its breeding 



