2 1 1 1 iber, 



The next thing to be done was to trace the l>eetlo to its real food-plant, 

 and this proved an unexpectedly easy matter. Wading into the stream. 

 I pulled up a few plants and immediately found the cocoons attached 

 to the >tem>. near the roots, • t Potati jet pectina&us. They have 

 lecurred on an aquatic species of Ranunculus. The larva/ are 

 edly gregarious, feeding at the roots of these plants in the mud at 

 the bottom of the stream, sometimes >i\ or eight of them occurring to- 

 gether in various ^tau'es. ran>_ r inu r from a quite small size up to full 

 growth. Fr->m the - brought home by me, two specimens <>t' the 



have emerged, one of which I i>»i>to.l out by breaking open its 

 >n, and have kept in a shallow dish of water with some of the weed 

 September 2nd, 1911, At the time of writing (October 6th), it 



i> xT ill alive. I hoped T-> determine the real time of appearance .if 



the imago, but this 1 find very difficult t-> state at present Towards 

 the end ^i August I captured two pale immature-looking specimens 

 which had evidently only just emerged. Throughout the period 1 was 

 working for the // • the larva, pupa, and imago could !«• taken 



together, and on one - n. when Commander Walker was present, 

 I brought out of the water the thro. t in a handful 



of tl • .nt. 



| 



u 



\ _ _ -/ - r 



~~7 



The larva ( ti_ r . L) is a whitish grub, sh.>rt and stout in appearance, 



convex on the dorsal, flattash on the ventral surface, wrinkled along 



the sides, and curved at each extrem ity. lothed on the 



sal and lateral regions with very short, bristly, ferruginous hairs. 



which are hardly visible ex.-nj.t with a good lens, and L>ok as if 



