174 Mr. F. G. Smith on the JTalits of 



This wood-fibre is quite different from any refuse found 

 lower down its burrow and is only used for this purpose. 

 When the bark is very thick the larva pupates in the bark 

 itself, stopping up this portion of its gallery at each end. 

 When it pupates in the wood it reserves a considerable 

 portion of its burrow for its final stages and the pupa 

 travels up and down as that of Asemum does. 



Another interesting point about the burrows of these 

 larvae, and one which also shows that the larva lives for a 

 considerable time in that portion of its burrow which may 

 be termed its pupa-case, is that near the hole of exit the 

 larva makes a short off-shoot, into which it pushes one of 

 its discarded skins, and carefully covers over the entrance 

 to it with wood-dust. The result of this performance is 

 to place out of reach an object which would encourage the 

 growth of fungi. In one of my specimens of these pupa- 

 cases the annex containing the skin is full of mildew and 

 putrefaction, while the pupa-case itself is quite free from 

 any such thing. 



Another noteworthy fact in the economy of this insect 

 is the extreme lateness in the season at which the perfect 

 insect appears. It apparently never undergoes its final 

 metamorphosis in this country till about the end of July, 

 although Dr. Sharp reared a specimen in June of last 

 year. I think there is no doubt however that this was 

 "due to the high temperature of the room it was kept in 

 and to its proximity to the fire. Having cast its pupal 

 skin it is at the very least a fortnight before it is ready to 

 leave its hiding-place. In large, well-developed specimens, 

 it takes quite a considerable time for the distended abdo- 

 men to sufficiently contract not to be an impediment to 

 the insect and to come within the limits of the elytra. 



Having matured, it leaves its prison as the twilight is 

 giving place to darkness. 



It has been thought that it is a sluggish insect, but so 

 far is that from the case that I believe it to be second to 

 none of the British Longicorns for fleetness of foot and 

 agility of wing. There seems no difference between the 

 sexes in this respect. They both continue to fly and run 

 about at a great rate late into the night. 



I kept several alive last year and they all died about 

 one month after maturing. They came from their hiding- 

 places regularly at the same time every night, and once 

 or twice I looked at them after 12 o'clock, and found 



