GROUND BEETLES. 287 



above described. Kegarding these it was noted that " the 

 actual berries were attacked and devoured by the beetles at 

 night, who swarmed on the plants, and the crop was of course 

 rumed. The attack was watched by the farmer, who had 

 three roods devoted to Strawberries, and the beetles themselves 

 seen to be the actual culprits feeding on the berries." This 

 appearance was at Woodborough, in Nottinghamshire, and, 

 as will be observed, was only on a small area. 



In the next year, 1895, the attack reappeared to a serious 

 extent in the Woodborough district, and the following extracts 

 from observations sent give some idea of the method of attack 

 of the beetles and the amount of injury.* 



The first information sent me was on the 23rd of June, 

 from Woodborough, that the beetles were "eating the fruit 

 fearfully. . . . We think the pest is worse than last year, 

 and others are suffering quite as much as we are at this 

 present time." 



On July 2nd it was reported that though in the previous 

 year the attack had only been on the one crop mentioned 

 above, yet now in many places the district swarmed with 

 them, and the attack began when the fruit was full-sized, and 

 within three days of ripening. As an instance of the damage 

 being done, it was mentioned that part of a field planted with 

 Strawberries was valued at £10 as they were, but a few days 

 after were so ruined that the crop only fetched thirteen or 

 fourteen shillings ; and the mass of the other plantings were 

 left an utter wreck, the whole crop being marked by the 

 beetles. 



Regarding the method of attack, it was noted that "the 

 beetles lie round the plant and under the earth, which is 

 covered with straw and litter, having their holes and runs 

 through the earth and litter ; the opening being through the 

 litter and just under the bunch of fruit attacked. The beetles 

 are without number, and seem most active an hour after dark, 

 being full and dormant at break of day, and much deeper in 

 the soil. The green fruit is really cleared of its skin, and 

 many of the seeds left. . . . The green Strawberries dry up 

 and wither after an attack, while those riper turn moist and 

 soon rot." It was also observed that in the case of the riper 

 fruit the seeds were especially attacked, " and lay under the 

 berries as thickly as hail." 



In 1897 similar descriptions of method of ravage were sent 

 from widely separated localities. From a garden near St. 



* For detailed observations with names of contributors appended, see my 

 Nineteenth Annual Report. The beetles identified as injurious were once again 

 Harpalus ruficornis and Pterostichus (= Sterojous) madidus, and also Fterostichus 

 (= Omaseus) vulgaris. Judging by description, the smaller kind, Calathus 

 clsteloides, was also again present, but specimens were not sent me. — E. A. O. 



