NOTF.s ON LACHNOSTERNA. 



The captures of an evening were carefully overhauled next morning-,, 

 every specimen being examined for sex and variations, and many of 

 each lot being examined as to genital structure to discover possible 

 variations in these structures. Especially was I careful to examine all 

 those offering any superficial variations in any direction. As already 

 stated, none were discovered; they were absolutely constant. 



1 shall first give the collections by dates, and a"terward a list of the 

 species, with localities and dates of capture, and relative abundance. 



April ."><>. — A very hot dny. Beetles appeared for the first time this 

 season, beginning to fly early and everywhere. Observed them in great 

 numbers on the young maples in front of the house, and found them 

 mostly females. None were preserved, and no notes were made. 



Following this unusually hot day, which brought out everything, there 

 came a week of unpleasant weather, during which no collecting was done,, 

 and but few specimens were living. I noted, however, late in the week 

 that the blossoms of my pear trees began to drop, and on examination 

 found that on most of them there were little notches bitten out ot the 

 flower stem, preventing of course the setting of the fruit. This damage 

 I traced to Lachnosterna, and thereafter waged war against them. I 

 observed that they flew freely early in the evening, and settled down 

 to work when it became dark, flying little afterward; therefore, if I 

 cleared my trees by shaking iuto an umbrella after it was fully dark, 

 they were safe for the balance of the night. Warm, sultry evenings 

 they were most active, and on one occasion, coming home near midnight, 

 I heard them in my hedges and on the small maples buzzing and occa- 

 sionally flying. 



On this point — flying — it maybe interesting to note that Mr. Schwarz 

 and myself noticed that, as in the European Cockchafer, our species, 

 before starting a flight, inflate the abdomen by rapidly expanding and 

 contracting several times, expanding the wings meanwhile, and this is 

 probably what causes the preliminary buzzing noticed in the evening 

 before the steady hum of flight. 



May 6. — 1 )etailed memorandum lost. The note says : "The small num- 

 ber of specimens is accounted for by the capacity of the collecting bot- 

 tle. Hirticula came first, before it was quite dark; with it, micans; 

 fusca came last. This fusca is the form afterward made out as distinct 

 under the term arcuata. In future I will use the latter term. 



May 7. — Lanier Heights. L. arcuata, 144 $ , 121 9; L. hirticula, 11 

 $ ,32 9 ; L. tristis, 1 3,1 9 (iu cop.) ; L. micans, 1 9 ; L. affitlis, 3 9 ; 

 L. in versa, 1 9 . 



At the pear trees the collection was made without light. Hirticula, 

 micans, and tristis came at about the same time. I believe the apnis 

 and inversa were also taken early, flying from the oaks at the foot of 

 the hill. Later the specimens taken on privet and wisteria were almost 

 without exception arcuata, They would commence to eat the most ten- 

 der tips first, but never ate much. Some would take little bites out of 



