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  structive 
  to 
  corn 
  in 
  southern 
  Illinois 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  half 
  of 
  May, 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  July, 
  and 
  on 
  various 
  dates 
  thereafter 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  

   season. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  its 
  immature 
  stages, 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  

   the 
  adult 
  in 
  winter 
  quarters 
  in 
  November. 
  

  

  The 
  Sweet-Potato 
  Flea-beetle. 
  

   CJicetocneina 
  confinis 
  Cr. 
  

  

  This 
  minute 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  by 
  us 
  on 
  sugar 
  beets 
  in 
  Octo- 
  

   ber, 
  but 
  makes 
  its 
  principal 
  attack 
  on 
  the 
  sweet-potato, 
  morning-glory, 
  

   and 
  other 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  order 
  Convolvulacece. 
  It 
  burrows 
  small 
  channels 
  

   along 
  the 
  leaf 
  veins, 
  causing 
  the 
  leaves 
  to 
  turn 
  brown 
  and 
  die 
  if 
  the 
  

   weather 
  is 
  unfavorable, 
  or, 
  if 
  the 
  plants 
  are 
  young, 
  often 
  killing 
  them 
  

   before 
  they 
  have 
  fairly 
  started 
  to 
  grow. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  by 
  Webster 
  

   v^ry 
  abundant 
  and 
  injurious 
  on 
  corn 
  and 
  wheat. 
  We 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  

   riddling 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  raspberries 
  with 
  small 
  holes, 
  thus 
  destroying 
  as 
  

   much 
  as 
  twenty 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  foliage. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  injurious 
  on 
  low 
  

   lands 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  winter 
  shelters 
  of 
  the 
  beetles. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  

   of 
  its 
  life 
  history 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  hibernates 
  as 
  an 
  adult 
  and 
  appears 
  

   abundantly 
  in 
  May, 
  — 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  sexes 
  copulate, 
  — 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  

   disappears 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  July 
  but 
  comes 
  in 
  again 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  month, 
  becoming 
  abundant 
  by 
  August 
  and 
  continuing 
  until 
  the 
  

   close 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  It 
  occurs 
  throughout 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  or 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  

  

  The 
  Smartweed 
  Flea-beetle, 
  

  

  Systena 
  hiidsoiiias 
  Forst. 
  

  

  (PI. 
  VIII., 
  Fig. 
  I.) 
  

  

  This 
  beetle 
  is 
  bluish-black 
  throughout, 
  about 
  an 
  eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   in 
  length, 
  and 
  more 
  elongate 
  than 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  flea-beetles, 
  ap- 
  

   proximating 
  in 
  form 
  the 
  cucumber 
  beetles 
  {Diabrotica). 
  It 
  occurs 
  

   everywhere 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  abundant 
  

   on 
  sugar 
  beets 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  has 
  occasionally 
  been 
  noticed 
  by 
  us 
  

   on 
  the 
  same 
  plant 
  at 
  Urbana. 
  No 
  serious 
  damage 
  has 
  been 
  noticed, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  species 
  feeding 
  primarily 
  on 
  smartweed 
  and 
  dock, 
  and 
  

   also 
  infesting 
  the 
  daisy, 
  fleabane, 
  plantain, 
  ragweed, 
  goldenrod, 
  

   catnip, 
  Bru7ieUa 
  vulgaris, 
  and 
  the 
  wild 
  verbenas. 
  The 
  adults 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  are 
  commonest 
  in 
  midsummer, 
  gradually 
  diminishing 
  in 
  

   number, 
  and 
  wholly 
  disappearing 
  before 
  winter. 
  Although 
  the 
  life 
  

   history 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  known 
  and 
  the 
  immature 
  stages 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   identified, 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  probably 
  single-brooded, 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  laid 
  

   in 
  the 
  fall. 
  

  

  