170 



[The date of appearance] varies somewliat with the season, and ranges in tin- 

 Vineland region from May 19 to May 25; it does not differ much for the rest of south 

 Jersey, though they are about a week or 10 days later in the Xew Brunswick region 

 and farther north. * * * 



During the season of 1890 I tried to get at the egg-h\ying habits of the species by 

 watching the insects in the liekl; l)Ut though I made my examinations at all hours 

 of the day, from sunrise to sunset, I never found them ovipositing, and got no defi- 

 nite results. Yet eggs were constantly di>creasing in number, and in 1890 many that 

 were examined June 13 had none remaining in the ovaries. * » » 



In order to discover the mature egg and the egg-laying habits of the insects, a con- 

 siderable number were collected, only those in coi»nlation being taken, in order that 

 the sexes should be equally represented. These were placed in a large jar filled to 

 the depth of 5 inches with soil from the vineyards, in which the larvaj were found 

 during the early part of the season. I'lenty f>f food (roses) was added and the jar 

 was set out doors to give as nearly natural conditions as was possible. Before night 

 a considerable number began burrowing into the ground ; sometimes the female only, 

 Bometimes male and female working together and keeping side by side. Some of the 

 beetles went down about 3 inches only, others burrowed to the bottom of the jar. 

 More tlian half of them made no effort to burrow at all and fed until evening. • * » 

 About the middle of next day I removed all those on top of the ground and placed 

 tliem in another jar, prepared iu the same way and with fresh food. Next morning 

 I foinid that nine si)ecimens had made their way to the surface in jar No. 1, and oth- 

 ers were noticed burrowing in jar No. 2. Those in jar No. 1 were acting in a disjiir- 

 ited manner, fed only in a half-hearted way, and about one half (females) were dead 

 before night. These were examined and the ovaries were empty. Those still alive 

 had not more than twelve eggs left in the ovaries — six in each. 



Turned out the earth carefully and found several more beetles still under ground 

 and making little effort to move. In these cases the ovaries of the females were empty 

 orhadonly avery few immature eggs. The most careful .search discovered only sonn 

 six or eight eggs, although there must have been many in the jar. The dilfieulty wa> 

 in the recognition of the difference between an egg and a coarse grain of sand. The 

 egg is yellowish gray in color, oval, the skin quite tough and parchmeut-like, covered 

 with dust, so that it was sinijtly iiujtossible to recognize it except by toueh with a 

 knife point. They are evidently laid singly and at depths of from 3 to 6 in<hes under 

 ground. With the second jar my experience was the same as with the first. The 

 insects that were still lively and ready to fly had all more than twelve eggs; but sonu' of 

 the others, which, though not lively, were still feeding, were entirely bare of eggs. 

 It is probable, then, judging from tliis<ibservat i(Ui and from the observations made 

 last year in the field, tliat at least two trijts under ground for tlie purpose of •(vijMtsii 

 ing arc made by the female, and that on each occasion she deposits not less than 

 twelve eggs. How l(uig an interval there is between journeys I can not say, but 1 

 watched one pair, recognizable l)y a coat of whitewash, for 3 days, during whiib 

 time they had evidently not been under ground. It is .also a question as to how huig 

 the insects Nvill feed after emerging f\(>m the ground and before beginning to oviposit. 

 Specimens taken from the groiuid May 25 showed the eggs in the ovaries very 

 immature and scarcely more than separated in the tubes. Thirty-six, the normal 

 nunil)er of eggs to each female, I found the rule from June 5 to 11. At that time. 2 

 weeks after their first apiiearance, egg laying was not yet general, but was beginning. 

 A considerablenumber of holes under badly infested vines, more noticeable in tlie early 

 morning, .seemed to indicate burrows for egg-laying purposes. My exjierience iu 

 18!K). when I found uiauy females with emjity ovaries on June 14, indicates that egg lay- 

 ing probably begins about 10 to II days alter the insects first emerge, and that 1 week 

 at the utmost is the jieriod reipiired l>y a single female to get rid of her stock of eggs. 

 In 1891, I found at .lamesburg. .June 20, numerous specimens on ferns and bracken, 

 sonu^ females with empty ovaries, some with twenty-four eggs. We may therefore 

 assume rather less than 3 weeks as the normal period of life for a single insect, and .is the 



