103 



peculiar mode of surface locoinotiou. Thcv c..ui,> up ,.u( of the ..roun.l 

 especially at uioht. an.! trav,>i upcn their hacks, with th,>ir leos'upper- 

 inost as shown in tlu- r,o,uv. The .h.rsal surfaces of tlieir seomenis an> 

 tunushe,! with stout bristles, l.v theai.L.f which liu-v n.av move alono. 

 with considerable speed. 



The s|)eci(>s hil)(>rna((> as lar\;e in 

 (he .ground, and })ui)ate (Fio-. S2,l>) 

 ill s[)rin,-;- in (>artlien cells, the b(>etles 

 emerging- about a nionlh later, 

 those of .1. nitidd in May and June, 

 accordiui;- (o iroward. and in July, 

 accordiui;- to (iarman, in i\(Mitucky. 

 As they fly through the nMuainder 

 of the suiiiiner and until S(>|)teinber 

 and October, lh(> ])(>riod of egg- 

 laying is supi)osetl to be correspond- 

 ingly in-olonged. The larva^ hatch- 

 ing from th(>se eggs may bo about 

 two tliirds grown when cold weather 

 begins. Tiiey live in burrows through 

 the Avinter, a, few inches undei- the 

 surface, and come out to \'vvi\ when- 

 ever the weather ])erniits. 



Th(> direct cause of uimsual injury by these beetles s(«eins to he th(> 

 near proximity of mamire and similar material. This forms a suitabl(> 

 "ledium lor the bree.ling of numerous larva^, which, on ivaching tJie 

 beetle stage, ivsort for food to fruit or corn nearest at hand. In small 

 plats much good may be done by going ov.-r tlu> ground at intervals 

 and knocking oft these conspicuous beetles into a pail of water coviMvd 

 with a (ilm of kerosene. 



Fkj. 83. The Western Green June-beetle, 

 Allorfnna miUolnliii. Twice natural size. 



THE SOUTHERN CORN LEAF-BEETLE. 



^f!/orJlrous (hniicollis Say. 

 This lKH>tle (Fig. 84; Fl. \1., Fig. 1) is about three sixteenths of an 

 inch long and about a third as wide, black, with slightlv bron.ed luster 

 and .lensely covered with stout whitish hairs with which th,> dirt some- 

 times becomes so intermixed that the surlace of the beetle is almost 

 compk^te y hidden. Tlu>s<« insects injure young corn by gnawing the 

 bases ot the ,>lants at or near the surface of the ground," and also bv 

 leedmg on the leaves. Serious damage has been done in Ohio aii<l in 

 some ol (he Southern States, even the second planting sonu^times beino- 

 ahnost totally destroyed. They have also injmvd voung corn in Kansas" 

 and young broom-corn is said to be subje.a t.. their injurv In breed- 



