77 



As these worms remain in the dead stalks throughout the winter, their destruction is 

 easily compassed by breaking otf all the dead wood to the sui-face of the ground and burning 

 it. 



The imported currant borer is a pretty little wasp-like moth with a bluish black body 

 crossed by three narrow golden bands. It flies only during the warmer part of the day and 

 is very active in the hot sunhine. The female lays her eggs singly near the buds, and when 

 hatched the young larvae eat their way to the central part of the stem as in the insect 

 just described, but instead of being footless this grub has sixteen feet, which are of a brown 

 colour while the body is fleshy white. 



ON THE ELATERID^ OR CLICK -BEETLES. 



By W. Hague Harrington, Ottawa. «• 



This extensive and interesting family of Coleoptera has hitherto had but little atten- 

 tion devoted to it in these Annual Reports. Yet, it is one which deserves more than the 

 passing mention or description of a species, and the present paper is intended to call the 

 attention of our Agricultural readers to a large group of insects, which are now in some 

 measure destructive, and which may become far more so in the future. The facts will be 

 presented in as plain and untechnical a manner as is consistent with the scientific require- 

 ments of the case. 



These beetles belong to the thirty -fifth family in Le Conte's classification of Coleoptera^ 

 and are a sub-division of the Serricornes of Latreille, being classed with the Sternoxi 

 (sharp-breasted). They are very nearly related to the family Buprestidce, which were so 

 fully described in last year's Report by Mr. Fletcher, diflering, however, from the Bu- 

 prestians in being much more flattened and elongated, and less hard. They also have the 

 hinder angles of the thorax prolonged in sharp points, which prevent any lateral move- 

 ment of it. The thorax in most cases is very loosely articulated to the meso-thorax, al- 

 lowing considerable motion upward or downward of the front part of the body. 



The pro-sternum (breast-bone) of the Buprestians was mentioned as being prolonged 

 backward into a point or spine, and this spine-like pro-sternal process forms one of the 

 most striking characteristics of the click-beetles. Our great teacher in scientific nomen- 

 clature, Linnaeus, gave to these beetles the name Elater, (from a Latin word meaning to 

 " bound,") but this name is now strictly limited to one of the many genera comprised 

 in the Elateridoe. 



The family is one very easy to determine, as the species preserve a marked resem- 

 blance to each other, varying but little in general shape, and going to no extremes in size 

 or colouring. Glancing at a collection of them, it will at once be seen that there is a pre- 

 ponderance of dull black or brownish species, with occasional touches of red or yellow, 

 but none are so brilliant as forcibly to individualize themselves by mere gay tints. 

 Roughly, they may be said to vary in size from a quarter inch to two inches. 



They have been named click-beetles, skip-jacks, spring-beetles, snap-bugs, clickers, 

 snap-beetles and blacksmiths, from their power of leaping from their back, or from the 

 clicking noise which attends such a performance. By the celebrated Swammerdam they 

 were called grasshopper or' locust-beetles. 



As already stated, they belong to the great tribe of Serricornes, or " saw-horned" 

 beetles, so named because the inside of the antennae presents a notched appearance, from 

 the joints having the tips more or less projecting. Their antennae are eleven-jointed, exr 

 cept in a few rare instances where an extra joint is found, and are placed widely apart. 

 In some genera they can be laid back under the thorax in grooves excavated along the 

 margins of the pro-sternum so as to be beautifully hidden and protected. The great ma- 

 jority of genera have these members of moderate length, and but slightly serrate ; but in 

 some few genera they are longer and pectinate, especially those of the males. 



Click-beetles have rather short and slender legs, which can be folded very closely to 

 the body when the insect is alarmed. One of their most marked peculiarities of structure 

 is the spine into which the pro-sternum is produced. It is to be found between the first 



