14 



City, on the shores of Atchafalaya River, Berwick, Olivier, St. 

 James, Donaldson ville, Lafayette, New Iberia, and St. Charles in 

 Louisiana, and at Beaiunont in Texas. The percentage of ciine beetles 

 coming to light was extremely small when compared with Chalejnis 

 trachypygiis, the rice beetle. In the fields in the spring practically no 

 rice beetles occurred, while at lights fully 90 per cent of the beetles 

 belonged to this species. The remaining percentage was divided 

 among Hydrophilidw, Lachnosterna, and the sugar-cane beetle. Ligy- 

 ruf< gihhosKS was rarely seen at lights, and not over 3 per cent of the 

 beetles were L. rugice'ps. 



OTPIER SPECIES OCCURRING IN FIELDS. 



Of the other white grub larva? occurring in the cane fields in early 

 spring and summer, the most common appears to be that of Cyclo- 

 cephala Imnnaeulata Ol. The adult of this s})ecies is a much smaller 

 beetle, pale in color, and with dark markings. Nearly full-grown 



larvse were found not 

 uncommonly in the 

 fields in April and 



May. 

 at the 



They occur 

 bases of the 



•Fig. 5. — Chah'pns trachi/pygus: «, beetle; b, larva, natural size 

 c, under side of head iu detail, enlarged (after Oomstock). 



stubble cane and be- 

 neath grass roots 

 along the margins of 

 the fields. It may 

 be this s])ecies that 

 is reported as cutting suckers of the cane late in the summer. The in- 

 jury is reported to be of nearly the same character as that of the cane 

 beetle, but the holes are smaller. Adults appeared in our breeding 

 cages in ^Vashington early in July and laid their eggs freely in rich 

 soils. The eggs hatched from six to fifteen days after deposition, the 

 white grubs at once forming tiny cells in the soil and within twelve 

 hours beginning to show traces of soil in their intestinal tracts. 



It is quite probable that the eggs in nature are laid in the same; gen- 

 eral Avay as those of Ligyrus rugiceps, but since the species appears 

 so late in the year there will rareh^ l)e sufficient damage to cause rem- 

 edies to be sought for other than those later on recommended for the 

 sugar-cane beetle. 



It is i^robable that the rice beetle does some damage to the cane 

 fields, especially in the rice regions, where it occurs in enormous 

 numbers. Very rarely was it found in the spring, in the soil around 

 the cane, or cutting cane, as was the cane beetle. Eggs were twice 

 found that apparently belonged to this species, but they could not in 

 the field be distinguished from those of the Ligyrus. Attempts to 



