56 The Cane Grubs of Australia. 
PROPORTION OF THE SEXES. 
We have not made many large collections of adults, and hence our 
data on the relative number of the sexes is not conclusive. The following 
table sums up our data :— 
| Beetles. 
Coliection Number. Source of Collection. | Le 
Males. Females. 
il ae .. Miscellaneous collections from forest .. | 19 93 
2 at .. Miscellaneous bred adults ee ate 17 15 
3 sf .. Collected in forest iG at ote 106 | 52 
4 in .. Collected in forest a aus cee 30 | 24 
5 aL .. Collected in forest a cae Aen 32 30 
204 144 
== 58-6 per cent. males; 41-4 per cent. females. 
DURATION OF HGG-LAYING PERIOD OF ADULTS. 
Adults eaptured in the forest, and kept in captivity, have laid eggs 
on the following dates :— 
Duration of 
First Eggs Obtained. Last Eggs Obtained. Egg-laying 
Period— Days. 
Number of Females. 
or 
DAEebEE 22 oa .. | January 4 a ae 13 
{ 
ie 
2s ember 15 ‘e .. | December 22 A we 7 
ae 
NuMBER OF EGGS LAID BY ADULTS. 
Adults captured in forest, and kept in confinement, in cages 
containing damp sifted earth, and supplied with leaves, deposited eggs 
as follows :— 
Number of Females. Eggs Laid. Eggs per Female. 
4 91 22-75 
5) 120 24 
Average = 23-4 
BEHAVIOUR OF REARED ADULTS. 
Adults reared in confinement almost always remained in a dormant 
or semi-dormant state until death, never mating, and rarely becoming 
active cnough to devour the fresh leaves given them. 
BEHAVIOUR OF ADULTS IN NATURE. 
Around Gordonvale the adults are very common in December and 
less abundant in November and January, being rarely seen in the other 
months mentioned in the emergence records—viz., Oetober, February, 
and March. They feed almost solely on the young trees of the Poplar 
