4S iJui.v. IS"*- 



Up to tliis time I was unable to find an egg on the flowci's or 

 stamens, but the frequently diseased state of the anthei's, added to 

 the fact of my once finding half an anther completely occupied by 

 one of the larvc-e, suggested the possible locality, more especially as 

 the anther was occasionally swollen in one place, so as to have a com- 

 pletely gall-like appearance. 



On the 17th of June, I found, on growing rape plants, great 

 quantities of these larvas, now more opaque, with (in some cases) a 

 brown appearance along the back and the spots no longer yisible, col- 

 lected together in parties of as many as one to two dozen at the base 

 of the pedicels of the topmost flowers, on the sjirays of which the 

 blossoms were now withered ; others of the larva3 wei'e distributed 

 variously, but chiefly on the seed-pods, where the gnawing motion of 

 the brown jaws might be clearly distinguished against the light colour 

 of the vegetation ; these larvae appearing to absorb the plant juices 

 with their mouths rather than to eat the solid substances. 



Some of these rape sprays I planted in earth in a flower-pot with 

 their adhering larvae, as also some sprays of withered turnip blossom, 

 on Avhich similar parties of four to seven larvre were collected at the 

 base of the pedicels of the topmost flowers, putting the rape and 

 turnip sprays in separate pots, each pot in a bowl of water to secure 

 dampness. 



At about a quarter to nine on the evening of the 17th of .Tune I 

 found the larva? on the rape stems burying themselves as fast as pos- 

 sible in the earth. They appeared to drop, not to crawl down the 

 stem, and then rapidly crawling over the surface of the earth, buried 

 themselves head foremost as fast as they could. Of about forty or 

 more larvse which were on the shoots in the evening, I did not see one 

 on the followiiig morning, and the turnip larva? disappeared at the 

 same time. 



The dropping of the larvae from the spray appeared to me to be 

 caused by an alteration in the shape of the caudal proleg, which, 

 ceasing to be serviceable to its proprietor, obliged the larva, whether 

 so inclined or not, to fall from the position no longer suitable to it 

 into the locality requisite for its further existence. 



On the 7th of July, noticing that the very heavy rains had washed 

 a number of the larvae from the flower-pot in which tlic turnip grubs 

 were confined, I turned the ball of earth out on my hand, and found, 

 near the bottom of the pot, a small beetle-pupa of a white colour with 

 reddish-brown eyes, and of obtuse oval shape (nndovhtcdU- a Mel i(/ethes) , 

 the -creature apparently in vigorous health, it Iny in a little earthern 



i 



