COLEOPTERA. 29 



shaped ochre-yellow leaves, which arc excessively long in the 

 mah^s. Tiiis fine insect is of a light brown color, with irregular 

 whitish blotches, like scars, on the thorax and wing-covers. It 

 measures nine tenths of an inch, or more, in length. It occurs 

 abundantly, in the month of July, at Martha's Vineyard, and 

 in some other places near the coast; but is rare in other parts 

 of Massachusetts. 



The foregoing Melolontliians an; found in gardens, nurseries, 

 and orchards, where they are more or less injurious to the fruit- 

 trees, in proportion to their niimbers in different seasons. They 

 also devour the leaves of various forest-trees, such as the elm, 

 maple, and oak. 



Omaloplia vespertina of Gyllenhal, and sericea of Illiger, 

 attack the leaves of the sweetbriar, or sweet-leaved rose, on 

 which they may be found in profusion in the evening, about 

 the last of June. They somewhat resemble the May-beetles 

 in form, but are proportionally shorter and thicker, and much 

 smaller in size. The first of them, the vespertine or evening 

 Omaloplia, is bay-brown; the wing-covers are marked with 

 many longitudinal shallow furrows, which, with the thorax, 

 are thicldy punctm-ed. This beetle varies in length from three 

 to four tenths of an inch. Omaloplia sericea^ the silky Oma- 

 loplia, closely resembles the preceding in every thing but its 

 color, M'hich is a very deep chestnut-brown, iridescent or 

 changeable like satin, and reflecting the colors of the rainbow. 



All these Melolonthians are nocturnal insects, never appear- 

 ing, except by accident, in the day, during which they remain 

 under shelter of the foliage of trees and shrubs, or concealed 

 in the grass. Others are truly day-fliers, committing their 

 ravages by the light of the sun, and are consequently exposed 

 to observation. 



One of our diurnal ]\Ielolonthians is supposed by many 

 natm-alists to be the Anomala varians of Fabricius; and it 

 agrees very well with this writer's description of the lucicola; 

 but Professor Germar thinks it to be an undescribed species, 

 and proposes to name it ccelebs. It resembles the vine-chafer 

 of Europe in its habits, and is found in the months of June 

 and July on the cultivated and wild grape-vines, the leaves of 



