1807.] 171 



about the same length as the last ; 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of equal length. Rostrum short, 

 apparently monomerous. Anal ring with 17 hairs, 9 on one half, 8 on the other. 

 Legs ordinary, digitules simple. Margin with a fringe of very long hairs, and the 

 dorsum above is almost covered with much shorter ones. 



Hah. : Bombay District, attended by Pecophylla smaragdria, F., 

 where it was collected by Mr. E. C. Wroughton. The name of the 

 food-plant is not given. 



Externally the adult ? bears a very strong resemblance to a 

 Kermes, but the absence of anal lobes in all stages of the $ precludes 

 it from that genus. The character of the larva, too, is very marked, 

 and its 7-jointed antennae are abnormal, but I do not think we can 

 consider such a character of generic importance, as some ^ larvae are 

 said to possess the same number of joints to the antennae. At the 

 same time all my examples present 7-jointed antennae ; the character, 

 therefore, must be common to both sexes. 



Chester : November, 1896. 



HARP ALUS EUFICORNIS, ¥., DESTRUCTIVE TO RIPE 

 STRAWBERRIES. 



BY ROBERT McLACHLAK, F.R.S., &c. 



It is now at least ten years since this very common " Ground 

 Beetle " was first sent to me as destructive to strawberries. At first 

 I was thoroughly incredulous, and inclined to think it was in search 

 of other creatures which were the real depredators. There now seems 

 to be no doubt of the truth of the accusation. 



In the No. of this Magazine for December, 1895 (p. 283), Canon 

 Fowler mentions that Miss Ormerod had sent him examples of the 

 beetle for determination, with a note that it was destructive to straw- 

 berries. In the Journal of the Eoyal Agricultural Society for 

 December, 1895, Mr. Cecil Warburton, Zoologist to the Society, enters 

 at some length into the question. 



This summer the attacks seem to be most serious, and I hear of 

 growers for market who have lost nearly all their crops from this 

 cause. The beetles do not appear to eat the flesh of the fruit, but 

 extract the juice till the berries collapse. There can, I think, be no 

 doubt that the presence of the beetles is more or less directly con- 

 nected with the '' mulch " or litter placed round the plants, primarily 

 as manure, and secondly to prevent the ripe fruit from touching the 

 ground (Mr. "Warburton has already slightly alluded to this subject). 



