271 



Herold (W.). Zur Kenntnis von Agrotis segeUnn, Schiff. (Saateule). 

 [A Contribution to the Knowledge of Agrotis segetum, Schitl'.] — 

 Zeitschr. f. angew. Entoni., Berlin, v, no. 1, 1919, pp. 47-59, 9 figs. 

 [Received 19th April 1920.] 



The egg and various stages of the larva of Euxoa (Agrotis) segetum, 

 Schiff., are described. The present observations were made in conse- 

 rjuence of the abundance of this pest in Germany in 1917. The eggs 

 were laid in May, July, and from September to October, giving rise to 

 two generations in the year. In the majority of cases they are laid on 

 plants above ground in batches of about 500, making a total of about 

 1,600 for each female. During October and the beginning of November 

 the eggs in the field as w^ell as under laboratory conditions required 

 from 15 to 17 days to hatch. The newly emerged larva is very active 

 until suita,ble food is found, and this it attacks immediately. The first 

 moult takes places after about 10 (iays, but the total number of moults 

 was not ascertained. After from 30 to 45 days the larvae begin 

 burrowing in the earth and only occasionally appear above ground 

 in search of food. 



Experimentally they will feed on many weeds ; of those tried the 

 order of preference observed was Leontodon, couch grass, Geranimn, 

 Viola, Erodium, SisymhriAon, Plmitago, clovei and Achillea. Senecio 

 vulgaris was not touched. A great number of larvae were found to be 

 infected with a fungas, Tarickium megaspermym. 



Lengerken (H.). Lebensweise und Entwicklung des Fliederschad- 



lings Otiorrhynchus rotundatus, Siebold. [The Life-history and 



Development of the Lilac Pest, Otiorrhynchus rotundatus, Siebold.] 



— Zeitschr. f angeic. Entom., Berlin, v, no. 1, 1919, pp. 67-83, 



• 21 figs ; no. 2, pp. 319-321, 5 figs. [Received 19th April 1920.] 



The observations here described with regard to Otiorrhynchus 

 rotundatus, Sieb., were made partly under natural and partly under 

 laboratory conditions. The eggs are laid in the ground, probably 

 near the roots of the food-plant. In Germany this weevil has only 

 been recorded from the neighbourhood of Dantzig, where it attacks 

 Turkish lilac (Syringa). The larvae feed on the root-ends and pupate 

 about the end of July or beginnirg of August in the ground. The 

 adults emerge in the middle of August and soon begin feedirg on the 

 leaves. The damage caused to the foliage is described and illustrated. 

 By the end of October all the adult weevils have disappeared into the 

 ground for hibernation ; they emerge the following April and attack 

 the buds of the food-plant. 



Since WTiting this paper the author has received further examples 

 of this weevil from Bucharest and from Tapiau in East Prussia. 



The food-plants include Ligustrum vulgare, Lonicera tatarica, 

 Philadelphus coronarius, Spiraea salicifolia and Cornus stolonifera. 



SzYAUNSKT (J. S.). Zur Methodik der Entomologischen Unter- 



suchungen. [On the Technique of Entomological Investigations.] 



— Zeitschr. f. angew. Entom., Berlin, v, no. 1, 1919, pp. 93-97, 3 figs. 



[Received 19th April 1920.] 



By means of an apparatus on the principle of a chemical balance 



and called an " aktograph," the mechanism of which is described, it 



