LEPIDIOTA FRENCHI. 45 



heautifully green, with no indication of grubs. Evidently, the beetles 

 in their tlight had bumped into these knolls, just as has been observed 

 in the case of our other species. 



HABITS AND LIFE HISTORY. 



Emergence and Mating. — Though this species has a two-year life- 

 cycle, there is a considerable emergence every year. Usually a day or 

 so after the first heavy rains of November or December have soaked the 

 hard subsoil the beetles come out in hordes. When in a grass paddock 

 at dusk, they appear to rise right from under one's feet, and on every 

 •side, in a seething swarm. After a wild flight of a1)out ten minutes, 

 they begin to settle on any convenient low objects, and mating takes 

 place. The females always settle first, but each is quickly surrounded by 

 several males ; when one is attached the others fly away. The attached 

 male always lets himself fall back as soon as union is secured, and hangs 

 liead downward supported only by the genitalia. So abundant are these 

 mated couples that in places where they are unable to find sufficient low 

 bushes they cover the fences, even hanging on the wires. Apparently 

 their main concern is to mate immediately after emerging from the 

 ground, night after night: this is kept up, as we have been able to 

 demonstrate, during the whole period of their aerial life, which lasts for 

 two or three months. 



In a field of sugar-cane one really has a better opportunity to 

 observe this mating flight. Half an hour after sunset swarms of beetles 

 rise out of the ground simultaneously, on every side, when they begin 

 flying close over the tops of the cane in great circles, as wide as the eye 

 can see. The flight is much swifter than that of the larger greybacks 

 and more direct, with no regard to any ordinary breeze. In dashing 

 along so close to the tops of the cane they constantly strike against the 

 leaves, producing a series of sounds very noticeable above the constant 

 hum of the seething swarm. After flying for a few minutes, the females 

 settle On the cane-leaves, and mating takes place, as has already been 

 described. Since the duration of this act had never been definitely 

 recorded, some attention was given to it. We found that there was 

 little regularity in the time that they remained together, this ranging 

 anywhere from twenty to twenty-nine minutes. ]\Iost of this time they 

 were perfectly rigid, and remained so even when held in the hand. Near 

 the completion of the act the male invariably began a movement of his 

 legs, as if trying to escape, and finally set his wings in motion ; then 

 pulling himself loose, he flew away to the feeding-trees, leaving his mate 

 in the cane. 



These beetles, like the greybacks, have two definite flights each 

 day — morning and evening; they difl:Vr, however, in that they spend 

 the day in the soil, and eat comparatively little. The evening flight, 

 ^vhich is primarily for mating, has been briefly described above. Field 

 observations, on numerous occasions, all go to show that these beetles 

 feed but little during the night, for they are usually found huddled uj) 

 as if stiff:' and cold, when observed with a lantern. The morning flight 

 l^egins just about half an hour before sunrise, when it is broad daylight. 

 Beetles observed on the foliage at about 5-30 a.m. appeared to be stitf 

 -and lifeless. A few minutes before the flight started, however, each 

 iDegan to move the head and end of the abdomen. The antenna^ were 

 thrust far out, the plates extended, as if trying to sense the surroundings. 

 In a moment the legs and wings began to move as they i-ose high on 

 "their toes and were off on their mad whirling flight. After about ten 



