556 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 9 



localities where they do not need to hibernate? Is it possible that this 

 material becomes more available for transmission into energy as the 

 time for them to begin a search for food approaches? Does exercise 

 tend to make the food material available? They could not be kept 

 successfully in a cage too small for them to fly about. 



While observations were not made so as to form a definite conclusion, 

 it appeared that these insects could endure a fast much longer when 

 exercised even in this violent manner than when confined in a reason- 

 ably warm room. It is certain that the beetles that were exercised to 

 fatigue almost every day without food were much more lively than 

 those kept in cages with plenty to eat. 



Field Habits 



On the 18th of July an experiment was begun with the object of 

 studying their habits of distributing themselves ov^er the fields. The 

 country around Corpus Christi, Texas, had been without rain for 

 fourteen months until the first part of July when showers, more or less 

 local, began falling. These showers continued until there was so much 

 rain that farmers could not keep the weeds out of the fields. Here 

 was an area of six counties in which it seemed that very few beetles 

 had spent the winter, hence all or nearly all that were present had lately 

 come in from the irrigated districts of the lower Rio Grande valley. 



One hundred and sixty-seven beetles were marked by painting their 

 wing covers with a dash of India ink. The next day but three of them 

 could be found. Four hundred and twenty-four beetles marked in 

 like manner disappeared so completely that only five could be found 

 the next day. One evening thirty beetles were located on plants 

 where they were spending the night but none of them returned to their 

 respective plants the next night. Several other experiments were 

 tried with similiar results. It appears that at this season under such 

 conditions the beetles are not influenced by a "homing instinct" or 

 even a locality instinct. On August 2 some young larvae were found. 



THE PRIVET MITE IN THE SOUTH 



By E. A. McGregor, Bureau of Entomology 



Introduction 

 In connection with the observations at Batesburg, S. C, during the 

 past five seasons on the common red spider, I have had considerable 

 opportunity to study the Httle known privet mite {Tenuipalpus 

 hioadatus McG.^). Concerning its origin little seems to be known, 

 but since all our records of the occurrence of the species have been from 

 the seven southeastern states — North Carolina to Louisiana inclusive — 

 it would appear that the privet is confined mainly to this area. 



i"Four New Tetranychids," Ann. Ent. Soc. Am., Vol. VII, 4, pp. 354-360, pi. IV. 



