6 



ground in a corn Held near Urbana ; and on the 24th of September, 

 1885, one was seen in a breed ing-'Cag-e which had been stocked with 

 larva' from timothy bulbs at Normal July 13. The date of trans- 

 formation is unknown as this breed in g--cage had been neglected, 

 no examination having been made since August 3. 



September 25, 1882, a specimen was taken at Klmira, in Stark 

 county, in the course of general collections of insects on corn. In 

 October, 1882, it was found at Normal, the conditions not being 

 recorded ; and on the 5th of October, 1885, it was taken from a 

 breeding-cage of timothy larva^ established July 13, but which had 

 not been previously disturbed since August 11. 



From these data it is plain that this bill-bug hibernates as a 

 beetle in ordinary situations ; that on coming out from its winter 

 quarters it takes its first food from blue-grass, young wheat, and 

 similar vegetation ; that it transfers its attentions to corn with the 

 first appearance of the plants, affecting that crop most generally 

 and injuriously on timothy or blue-grass sod ; that it may continue 

 to feed on corn as late as the latter part of June, even when the 

 plant is eighteen inches high, but that it distributes its attentions 

 also over the grasses and grains ; and that the beetles of the new 

 generation — which begin to appear as early as August — emerge, at 

 least in part, from their subterranean cells, and secrete themselves 

 for hibernation as reported above. 



Orciinriircs of luiDUitiirc SUn^rs. — Larva' of .V. parzii/ii^ have 

 been noted in the course of our work at various dates from June 11 

 to October 22, the last a single instance of what was perhaps de- 

 layed pupation in a neglected breeding-cage. The intermediate 

 dates are June 13, 16, 26, 27, and 28, July 4, 13, 21, and 30, and 

 August 10. The larva taken at this last date was boring the 

 crown of a timothy bulb on the grounds of the lOxperitnent Station 

 at Urbana. It was transferred to a breeding-cage, where it re- 

 mained without special attention until October 22, at which time 

 it was still feeding on the timothy. All our specimens have been 

 taken from the root bulbs of timothy, but the larva is reported 

 by Webster ('•)3) to occur occasionally in wlieat, and by Bruner 

 ('92) sometimes to infest blue-grass lawns in suflicient numbers to 

 kill large patches of sod. 



Pupa' have occurred in the course of our work on July 24 and 

 30, but eggs have not been seen by us at all. Webster ('92) ob- 

 served oviposition as late as July 1, and inferred that the eggs are 

 mainly laid late in May and in June. 



I find in these data no definite indication of more than a single 

 brood, unless the facts reported concerning the larva brought in 



