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Collecting Lachnosterna, 

 By C. H. Roberts. 



As the season approaches for collecting this genus, I am induced to 

 tell of a method which was new to me until last Spring, and which 

 proved very remunerative. It was my good fortune to spend a couple 

 of weeks in Washington, D. C. , last May with that band of well-known 

 entomologists and enthusiastic collectors, gathered there, and they initi- 

 ated me — taught me the trick i. e. — beating. 



Given a clump of Oak or Hickory trees (young ones preferred), 

 situated near a lawn, meadow or pasture; an umbrella, beating stick, 

 lantern, plenty of good sized bottles, charged with cyanide or chloroform, 

 and if possible a companion, and you are ready — when night comes. 



The beetles begin to emerge from the ground at about dusk and 

 fly to the trees to feed. 



As long as any light remains you can hand-pick them, but when it 

 becomes dark, or if they appear in large numbers, you open your um- 

 brella and the beating process begins. If the locality be a good one you 

 will be astonished at the result. You want the lantern to examine the 

 umbrella with, and your companion to hold it and the umbrella. 



While in Washington four of us went out in this way and we took 

 nearly two quarts, or almost a thousand specimens in an hour and a half 

 Six or seven species were represented. Oak and Hickory are of course 

 not the only food plants, but seem to be favorites. 



One species, affinis, was quite commonly taken upon an old oak 

 which grew near my Iriend's house, and seemed to be rare everywhere 

 else. Affinis suddenly disappeared after a few days, and then the pear 

 trees in the garden were savagely attacked by hv'ticula -Awdifusca, or rather 

 arcuata, Smith, n. sp. It for some time seemed as if they would destroy 

 the trees, so vast were their numbers ; and I am not sure but that they 

 would, were it not for the hand-picking of myself and friend. 



After my leaving, my friends took many hundreds of specimens, 

 and many species in this way. 



Upon my return to New York I tried the same method in one of 

 our small parks and succeeded very well, although the season was getting 

 late. I was once disturbed by a gray-coated "guardian of the peace," 

 but I finally /^r5?^«:fl'^a' him that he was wanted in another part of the 

 park and the good work went on. 



Collecting about electric lights, especially when they are near parks, 

 and not too far from the ground, is productive of very good results, but 

 beating goes beyond anything in my experience. 



The beetles seem to fly mostly from dusk until ten o'clock, although 

 some specimens have been taken as late as midnight. 



