•2;58 STRAWBERRY. 



Albans it was mentioned that about the middle of June the 

 beetles were noticed in great numbers on and about the 

 Strawberry bed ; " they remained in the soil during the day, 

 and came to the surface at night. They first attacked the 

 Strawberry beds when a few berries were ripe, and then 

 turned their attention to all the berries, whether green or 

 ripe. The whole crop, an exceptionally good one, was de- 

 stroyed in less than a week. After they had done all the 

 mischief they could, they disappeared, but a few are still to be 

 found in the soil'at the date of this letter " (Sept. 20th, 1897). 



Another correspondent, writing from Walsingham, Norfolk, 

 with specimens of injured Strawberries and of Harpalus ruji- 

 curnis accompanying, mentioned that he had a most splendid 

 show of fruit, and now he found that nearly all the berries 

 were like those forwarded, and that there was not a Straw- 

 berry on the bed worth eating. On searching in a crack in 

 the ground in the Strawberry bed, about a dozen . of the 

 beetles, nine or ten of which proved to be H. ruficornis, were 

 found in about twelve or eighteen inches. The ground in 

 many places was covered with a powdery deposit, which 

 proved to be of seeds eaten off the berries. 



Other reports from various localities gave observations of 

 serious damage to the Strawberries from the " Ground 

 Beetles" eating the surface of the fruit from the time of it 

 beginning to swell until it was ripe, the information in these 

 being so similar to the notes quoted above that it is un- 

 necessary to repeat them in extenso ; but the following ob- 

 servation, referring to the nocturnal nature of the operations 

 of the beetle, is of some special interest. In this case about 

 three-quarters of an acre of Strawberries had all been spoilt 

 for sale by beetles, which proved, from samples sent, to be 

 Harpalus ruficornis, and it was noted : " They were not to be 

 seen on the surface in the daytime, ajyparently huri/ing tlievi- 

 selves about an inch under ground, but at night they were 

 very busy." 



The greater prevalence of this kind is worth notice in 

 connection with it not only having ample wings, but also the 

 disposition to use them for transportation of the insects in 

 jiights of considerahle numbers togetlwr. I am not aware of 

 observations of this habit having been recorded until the 

 summer of 1897, when, on the 14th of June, a number of 

 specimens were brought over to me by a neighbour from 

 Bone Hill, near St. Albans, which proved on examination to 

 be Harjxdus ruficornis, as part of such a very numerous 

 appearance that it was described as a swarm, of which so 

 many fell at 10 p.m. the jirevious evening on members of the 

 family sitting in front of the house, that it was supposed the 



