THE SO-CALLED ‘‘ CURLEW BUG.’’ 67 
Sound and be carried ashore by the tides. In at least two cases, 
each involving a different species of Sphenophorus, adults have been 
found along the sea beach in situations where they must have been 
. submerged at each flow of the tide. 
The length of life in the beetle stage is not definitely known, but 
Dr. Chittenden has observed overwintered adults as late as August 8, 
thus overlapping the appearance of the new generation of adults. 
INJURY BY THE BEETLES. 
it is rather difficult to separate out, in the correspondence of the 
bureau, injuries that have been caused by the adults, or beetles, of 
this species from those inflicted by the larve. That the larve are 
eminently capable of totally destroying young corn is very evident, 
but the following extract points more or less conclusively to the 
beetles themselves as being the authors of the injuries inflicted. 
Mr. C. R. 8. Baker, Rimini, S. C., June 26, 1909, in a communica- 
tion to the Bureau of Statistics, stated that the beetles were killing 
young corn by puncturing the stalk to the heart, killing the plant 
precisely as with the ‘‘budworm.” This particular field had been 
highly fertilized with guano and stable manure. Maj. Gore, of Pire- 
way, N.C., May 12, 1910, stated that 30 acres of corn planted on new 
land had been literally eaten up by the beetles; presumably the new 
jand was either very low or reclaimed swamp. Under date of May 21, 
1910, Mr. W. Barnett, of Pireway, N. C., stated that a farmer in his 
heighborhood had lost half of his crop of corn from attacks of this 
beet!e. Writing from Helena, Ark., June 2, 1911, Mr. L. E. Howard 
stated that these beetles were killing the corn, mostly young corn, 
but some as large as waist-high. Writing from McLellan, Fla., 
May 2, 1909, Mr. W. H. Gill stated that the pest had just made its 
appearance in Santa Rosa County and attacked young corn about a 
month old by boring in the stalk underground and killing the center. 
On June 1, 1910, a complaint was received from Mr. P. Cox, Appleton, 
Tenn., inclosing specimens of the beetle which he stated were destroy- 
ing his corn crop and asked for an investigation of the trouble. July 
14, Mr. G. G. Ainslie visited the locality and found that Mr. Cox’s 
field consisted of about 40 acres lying in a creek bottom. Farther 
down the stream were two other fields of corn all of which had been 
damaged. It seems to be the plan in that particular locality to allow . 
the land to go uncultivated every alternate year. During the season 
in which the land is idle there springs up a heavy growth of weeds and 
swamp grass. This particular field was plowed the latter part of 
March and replowed the last day of April, corn being planted soon 
after. The first planting came up quickly, but was utterly destroyed. 
The second planting, the date of which was not obtained, was also 
practically destroyed, and a little before the middle of June a third 
