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FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON SITONES 

 LI NEAT US L. 



By DOROTHY J. JACKSON, F.E.S.i 



(With 2 Text-figures.) 



In a previous article (i) a full description was given of the attack of 

 Sitones lineatus L. upon peas and beans, and it was shown that these 

 plants, together with tares and lucerne, constituted the favourite food 

 plants of this species; clover being little attacked when they were 

 available. In the end of July, 1921, large numbers of adults of this 

 species were found feeding upon clover and lucerne in Kent, and the 

 following observations on the damage thus effected may be of interest 

 to record. 



Owing to the long drought during the summer of 1921, the second 

 growth of clover in the hay fields had made little progress and the leaves 

 were seriously attacked by adults of S. lineatus L. The leaves growing on 

 many of the flowering shoots were eaten nearly to the midribs (Fig. 1, B), 

 and the younger foliage at the base of the plants had also suffered severely 

 (Fig. 1, C). Lucerne was similarly damaged. The attack was always most 

 severe in those fields of clover and lucerne which adjoined fields of peas 

 or beans. The latter were by this time cut and mostly harvested. 



The young clover coming up amongst the corn was also much 

 attacked (Fig. 2) many of the leaves being completely eaten off, especially 

 along the edges of the field next to fields of peas and beans. Where the 

 corn had already been cut the clover had made less growth and appeared 

 to have suffered more from the attack of the weevils. 



The adults of S. lineatus L. were abundant around the damaged 

 plants. They were to be found during the day running about amongst 

 the withered leaves and stalks that littered the ground at the base of the 

 plants. Only a few of the beetles occurred upon the fohage in the day- 

 time. As soon as darkness set in they crawled up the stems and com- 

 menced feeding upon the leaves, and numbers were captured in the sweep 

 net at this time. 



All were freshly emerged specimens, sexually immature. Not a single 

 individual of the old generation was observed. Without doubt the vast 

 ^ A grant in aid of publication has been received for tliis communication. 



