362 PHYTOPHAGA, [Phyllotreta. 
pupa, are beautifully figured ; as an instance of the damage caused by 
this beetle, Curtis mentions that so long ago as 1786 the turnip crop 
destroyed in Devonshire alone was worth 100,000/.; the eggs are laid 
upon the under-side of the rough leaf of the turnip from April to 
September, and they hatch in ten or even in seven days; the larve, 
which are whitish grubs with the head and most of the upper surface 
of the prothorax black, feed between the two skins or cuticles of the 
leaf, and arrive at maturity in six days; they then bury in the earth, 
and in about a fortnight change to the perfect insect ; it is obvious, 
therefore, that there are several broods in the year, and that they increase 
to an enormous extent; the chief injury that is caused by them is the 
destruction of the cotyledons or seed leaves, which is done by the 
perfect insect, and entirely destroys the erop; if once the plants can be 
got beyond a certain stage, the attacks of the beetles do not much affect 
them ; the application of good manure and careful preparation of the soil is 
therefore of advantage, and some people recommend thick sowing ; as 
the autumn-hatched beetles hibernate, and are the chief source of damage 
in spring, all clods, weeds, &c., that might be likely to harbour them 
should be carefully removed ; in fact, clean farming is one of the greatest 
protections that can be adopted against insect pests; in cases of bad 
attack, rolling with a light roller has been found beneficial, as also has 
the use of freshly painted boards ; these, if drawn over the turnips, 
catch large numbers ; many dressings have also been recommended, the 
chief perhaps being “‘ one bushel of gas-lime, fresh from the gas-house, 
one bushel of fresh lime from the kiln, six pounds of sulphur, and ten 
pounds of soot, well mixed together and ground to as fine a powder as 
possible ; this should always be applied very early in the morning, when 
the dew is on the leaf, and if the fly continues troublesome the process 
should be repeated.” (See Miss Ormerod’s Manual of Injurious Insects, 
p. 151.) 
In the Entomologists’ Monthly Magazine, vol. xxiii. p. 92, the Rev. 
Theodore Wood mentions the fact that he has found P. melena (= cun- 
sobrina), (which is, as a rule, by no means a common species,) very de- 
structive to seedling cabbages, brocoli, kale, &e., in the Isle of Thanet ; 
in fact, Crucifere generally seem to be liable to the attacks of various 
members of this genus, which, in spite of their minute size, are 
amongst the most injurious of all Coleoptera. 
Our British species may be divided as follows: the distinctions, 
however, are in many cases more or less comparative, and are hard to 
express in words ; a comparison with authentic types will be found far 
more satisfactory than any descriptions 
I. Upper surface unicolorous. 
i. Upper surface bronze ; fourth joint of antenna 
in male very large, strongly inflated . . . . P. NODICORNIS, Marsh. 
ii. Upper surface black, bluish, or greenish ; 
fourth joint of autenne in male not, or slightly, 
inflated. 
