Asemum striatum and Criocepkatus fenis. 16'7 



half-a-dozen maimed specimens. One stray specimen I 

 found on the ground among bits of bark. I did not see 

 one on the wing although there was brilliant sunshine. 

 During these two or three days I must have seen many 

 hundreds of the insect, all in their holes. The explanation 

 of this is that the insect is purely nocturnal in its habits, 

 taking refuge in its burrows during the daytime when 

 possible. It would appear however that though nocturnal, 

 it likes the sunshine, as most Longicoins do. The odd 

 specimens which subsequent to 1902 have been found at 

 different places have been stray insects most likely near 

 very strong colonies, seeing that from the colony I refer 

 to I only found one straggler. During the last day I 

 spent at this place at this time I devised a very simple 

 but effective method of obtaining specimens, and I took 

 in half-a-day about eighty. It would not, I think, be 

 fair to the insect to make this method generally known. 

 Among this number there were two of the var. agrestis, 

 which is a true variety and not an immaturity, as has been 

 supposed. 



The normal insect, while undergoing the process of 

 hardening never assumes the brick-red tint of var. agrestis, 

 but rapidly changes from various hues of dull brown to 

 pitchy black ; some however are not so black as others, 

 while var. agrestis having once arrived at the brick-red 

 colour retains that hue. Dr. Sharp has taken a stray 

 specimen of the var. agrestis on the wing, which proves 

 its maturity. 



The situation I have referred to fulfilled at the time 

 the conditions necessary for a successful colony, which are 

 as follows : — 



i. That the wood shall be dead or enfeebled, but not 

 have commenced to decay. 



ii. The wood must not have been attacked previously 

 by Bhagium bifasciatttm, as the two are not 

 friendly, though the existence of Asemum facili- 

 tates that of Bhagium. 



Probably the insect exists in the same stump (not includ- 

 ing the thin rootlets) during a maximum period of rive 

 years. My supposition is based on the following : — 



Throughout the three years during which the first 

 brood is maturing, there are no visible punctures on the 



