118 STRAWBERRY. 
both with descriptions and with my type specimens of Harpalus ruji- 
cornis, and on lifting the wing-cases the large wings folded beneath 
them were very observable. 
Summary.—On looking over the notes of practical observation, 
there are several points worth notice. 
One is that—of the various kinds of ‘‘Ground Beetles”’ of which 
we have as yet had definite report, from identification of specimens, 
as attacking Strawberry fruit—one kind only is serviceably winged. 
This is a very important matter, as in the case of attack from 
wingless kinds it is plain that the beetles must either have been bred on 
the place, or must have been brought in in manure, or in some way 
transported on to the ground either in egg or in maggot, or in some 
stage of beetle life, and therefore it might certainly be hoped that, by 
attention being paid to this matter, the feeding material of the maggot 
and the depth at which it works below the ground might be discovered, 
and thus the grubs might be got rid of before the time arrived for 
them to go through their changes to their Strawberry-destroying 
beetle state. 
For description of the general characteristics of the larve (grubs) 
of ‘‘Ground Beetles,”’ see p. 112. 
With regard to the winged kind: this is the Harpalus ruficornis, and 
those who will be at the pains to unfold the wings from beneath the 
somewhat downy wing-cases, will find them large and well-developed 
organs of flight. 
I am not aware of our having had observations until the past 
season of this species appearing in what were described as ‘“‘swarms”’ ; 
but in the case of the great numbers which were noticed at Bone Hill, 
near St. Albans, at 10 p.m. (see p. 113), I had personal opportunity 
of identification of them as being the H. ruficornis; and just about the 
same time they were observed (see p. 114) falling by scores, as if they 
had struck the house wall in their flight, at Sandridge, about five 
miles distant from the first-named locality. 
So far as our observations of this past year and of 1895 show, the 
Ground Beetles, of which the species most reported is the H. rujicornis, 
begin their work in the evening, and their capability of coming in 
great quantities and so late as 10 p.m., would give a reason why the 
most scrupulous endeavours to clear out the infestation of such un- 
accountably large numbers of beetles were found useless. 
In one of the special reports of 1895 by Mr. Rice,* he mentioned :— 
“The beetles are without number, and seem most active an hour after 
dark, being full and dormant at break of day. . . . The beetles 
* See my ‘ Nineteenth Annual Report,’ p. 85. 
