n 



Oa the next day, July 28, a visit was made to a field of swamp 

 land wJiicb was tbeo being- broken up for the first time. Many of 

 the bulbs of the rushes were cut in two by the plow, and more than 

 half of these had been excavated by the larvae of the biU'bugs, two 

 of which were brought to the office alive. A considerable number 

 of adult S. ochreui w^^ crawling- in the furrows and over the fresh 

 i&od, and one dead bulb was found with the remains of an aduli i« 

 the burrow. 



Exfcriment ivith Bill'bugi on Corn.'^iulj 3 a lot of these 

 beetles from Piper City, sent from there June 29, were placed on 

 hills of corn g-rowing- under large frames covered with wire g"au«e, 

 the bases of which, were sunk four inches in the earth. By July 6 

 several of these beetles had beg-un to feed, and on the 14th the corn 

 was ^Ix^^Ay badly eaten. On the 17th «. stalk of tbis damag^ed 

 corn was removed and critically examined, but n.<) eg^g^s w^^ found. 

 All the beetles were still a.live except <)n.^ male, Tht. mjwi^ io 

 the com were at this time numerous and severe, but the plants 

 seemed rapidly growing away from them, and the beetles had 

 moved from the base of the stalk, which had doubtless become too 

 itard for their jaws, to the terminal leaves and other g-rowing- struC' 

 ttwes, including- the young- ears an inch to an inch and a half m 

 length. The young- husks had been perforated and the ears wer^ 

 excavated lengthwise, practically c— -•" • ••^g- them. Tassels and 

 terminal leaves showed g-reat rece-- --y, and the sheaths of 



leaves near the deeper punctures ana excav«.tions of the stem had 

 often been g-nawed iaito but not far enough to g-o throug"h the 

 sheath, the beetles having- apparently found the tissues here too 

 tong"h. On the 24th additional search was ma.de for eg-g"^ on sev' 

 eral stalks which were taken out of the earth for the purpose, but 

 without success ; neither egg^s ©or trace of breeding operations 

 could be found in or about a»j part of the plant. The u^ual puno 

 ttores and slits were abundant ahout the base of the stem, with some 

 SEttiall discolored excavations also, but nothing- else. 



September 10 the remaining- contents of this ca^e w^re Anally 

 overlttauled, hut neither live beetles, e^g-s, nor larv<(e were found. 

 The stalks, roots, leaves, ears, and tassels had been much injured, 

 the tassel and the upper part of the stalk perhaps most seriously «o. 



The method of feeding- was carefully observed I '• Mr. 



Marten and myself . l-'iacing- iiseJf heac Gow»wfe.rc, w .out 



1^^ embracing and ftrmly ^aspii^ tie italic, th« beetie applies 

 liie tip of its beak straig-ht ag-ainst the surface, cv' " ■' : ' ■' 



tissue with the mancibleb. the action of which is -. - . 



hie. Gradually, wjiSi an occasional twisting motion of tiie heaii. 



