HABITS OF FLIGHT. 



During the day the beetles conceal themselves by burrowing into 

 the ground, usually near the bases of trees or large weeds. Often 

 a dozen or more holes may be found around the base of a tree upon 

 which they have been feeding. At night they begin issuing from 

 these burrows at about sundown, and their flight seldom lasts for 

 more than fifteen to twenty minutes. 



On one occasion, in October, observations were made at sundown 

 of a large screened cage into which had been put five hundred adults 

 a few evenings before. The beetles began appearing from the soil 

 at 6:25 p. m., Avere issuing in greatest numbers at about 6:35 p. m., 

 and had practically ceased to appear by 6 :45 p. m. The majority 

 took wing immediately upon making their exit from the holes, or 

 crawled up a near-by weed and then took wing ; a few climbed weeds 

 and began to feed without flying at all. Nearly all flew westwardly, 

 against the western side of the cage. The flight of the majority 

 lasted until a))out 6 :50 p. m. ; the last of them had ceased flying 

 by 7:00. 



Adults of this species do not usually fly for long distances. By 

 watching up and down a "callejon" (a bare or grass alleyway 20 

 to 30 feet wide) between cane fields at about dusk, in a place where 

 infestation by the beetles was known to be heavy, it has been noted 

 that comparatively few of the beetles flew across the ' ' callejon, ' ' 

 but that the majority hovered over the cane plants very near to 

 where they had arisen. On various occasions casuarina trees in a 

 Bermuda-grass lawn were watched at dusk, and it was noted that 

 the beetles usually hovered around the trees near whose bases they 

 had made exit from the ground, but never arose high and took direct 

 flight for more distant trees. 



Another observation confirmed the belief that the dispersimi of 

 vandinei by flight is not extensive. In a large outdoor screened 

 experimental cage, 6 by 10 feet in area, into which 2,000 beetles 

 were introduced on April 2, it was observed a week later that the cane 

 growing at the end of the cage where the beetles had been intro- 

 duced was entirely stripped of foliage, while cane growing at the 

 opposite end was virtually untouched, showing decidedly the >\o\v 

 dispersion by flight. 



ATTRACTION TO LIGHT. 



Adults of vandinei are quite readily attracted to liglit. as is usual 

 with May-beetles. Experiments were made with a large 500-c. p. 



80 



