A. W. Rymer Roberts 123 



Vassiliev (23) also refers to a similar habit of hiding during the day on 

 the part of A. lineatus, but says that the beetles remain in holes made 

 by themselves, especially in hot weather — a habit which has not been 

 observed in this country. 



In contrast to the habits of the said three species, A. sohrinus and 

 A. pallidulus and also Aihous haemorrhoidalis are commonly taken 

 from leaves and flowers (especially flowers of Caucalis anthriscus) by 

 sweeping growing corn, clover and hedgerow plants. As to the food 

 taken by the adults, little has been observed. A. sohrinus and A. 'palli- 

 dulus are evidently feeding on the nectar when found on Caucalis and 

 A. sputator has been observed to do the same in the laboratory, though 

 it is so seldom found on flowers in the field. Vassiliev supposed that 

 A. lineatus and the other species dealt with by him {Athous subfuscus, 

 Melanotus riifipes, Prosternon holosericeum) feed chiefly on the nectar of 

 flowers, though P. holosericeum eats the petals of Cytisus. 



A number of different Elaterids in America and Limonius minutus in 

 Russia (19) have been recorded as damaging fruit blossom, while Adrastus. 

 limbatus, Brit. Cat. ( = nitidulus, Marsh) has been known to attack 

 Strawberries (Carpenter (5)), but so far as Agriotes obscurus, A. lineatus 

 and A. sputator are concerned, little is known of the nature of their food 

 at large beyond the statement of Adrianov. 



The Egg. 



The eggs of the four Agriotes species, lineatus, obscurus, sputator and 

 sobrinus are laid in the soil at varying depths from a quarter of an inch 

 down to two inches. Up to the time of going to press those of A. lineatus 

 have not been procured at Rothamsted, but Adrianov obtained eggs of 

 that species, together with A. sputator, in his breeding pots at depths 

 of, approximately, | to If inch, so that the site for oviposition in the 

 four species named may be considered the same. Ova of Athous haemor- 

 rhoidalis have also been obtained from one of the breeding pots in a 

 similar situation at a depth of } to | inch below the surface of the soil. 



Adrianov found that eggs deposited too near the surface became 

 desiccated and Graf(i3) in America also found that those of Limonius 

 californicus, Mannh. became desiccated when kept in a dry vial. Prob- 

 ably therefore the beetle descends into the soil for the purpose of ob- 

 taining a sufficiently moist nidus. 



Oviposition takes place from towards the end of June to the middle 

 of July, The ova have not been found in the open, but in the breeding 

 pots in which the beetles have been confined from the end of May until 



9-2 



