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  at 
  night, 
  and 
  leaving 
  only 
  the 
  skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  veins 
  or 
  wholly 
  destroying 
  

   the 
  young 
  leaves 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  they 
  appear. 
  The 
  adult 
  insect 
  is 
  black, 
  with 
  

   nearly 
  parallel 
  sides, 
  the 
  body 
  flat 
  and 
  thin, 
  about 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch 
  in 
  length, 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  marked 
  parallel 
  ridges 
  on 
  the 
  wing- 
  

   covers. 
  The 
  scaly 
  looking 
  larvae 
  taper 
  from 
  before 
  backwards 
  and 
  have 
  

   something 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  well 
  known 
  sow-bugs 
  or 
  cellar 
  bugs 
  

   (^Oniscidce). 
  The 
  beetles 
  hibernate, 
  and 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  June, 
  and 
  

   these 
  hatch 
  in 
  about 
  five 
  days 
  thereafter 
  — 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  France 
  about 
  

   July 
  xst. 
  The 
  young 
  mature 
  within 
  a 
  fortnight. 
  In 
  about 
  a 
  month 
  

   from 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  the 
  adult 
  beetles 
  emerge. 
  

  

  Silpha 
  bititberosa 
  Lee. 
  

  

  This 
  American 
  species, 
  our 
  nearest 
  ally 
  to 
  the 
  beet 
  carrion-beetle 
  

   of 
  Europe, 
  is 
  a 
  western 
  and 
  northern 
  species, 
  ranging 
  from 
  the 
  British 
  

   Northwest 
  Territory 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Kansas. 
  In 
  British 
  America 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  were 
  seen 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Fletcher 
  in 
  1893 
  feeding 
  on 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  weeds, 
  

   particularly 
  upon 
  those 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Chenopodium 
  family, 
  and 
  also 
  

   on 
  squash 
  and 
  pumpkin 
  vines. 
  In 
  breeding-cages 
  they 
  ate 
  freely 
  of 
  the 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  beet 
  and 
  lamb's-quarters, 
  feeding 
  by 
  night 
  and 
  hiding 
  by 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  larvae 
  are 
  black 
  and 
  shining, 
  half 
  to 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   long 
  and 
  a 
  fifth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  wide, 
  convex 
  above, 
  flattened 
  below, 
  and 
  

   tapering 
  towards 
  each 
  end. 
  The 
  beetle 
  is 
  dull 
  black, 
  with 
  dusky 
  hairs 
  

   on 
  the 
  thorax, 
  of 
  oval 
  outline, 
  broader 
  than 
  ^S. 
  opaca, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  elongate 
  species. 
  Fletcher 
  found 
  the 
  larvae 
  living 
  in 
  his 
  breed- 
  

   ing-cages 
  from 
  June 
  5th 
  to 
  July 
  12th, 
  and 
  adults 
  emerging 
  from 
  July 
  6th 
  

   to 
  24th. 
  Although 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  injure 
  beet 
  

   plants 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  the 
  foregoing 
  facts 
  make 
  it 
  an 
  object 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  

   economic 
  entomologists 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  insect 
  injuries 
  to 
  the 
  

   beet. 
  

  

  BLISTER-BEETLES. 
  

  

  Meloidce. 
  

  

  This 
  family 
  of 
  insects, 
  readily 
  distinguishable 
  by 
  their 
  elongate- 
  

   cylindrical 
  bodies, 
  comparatively 
  soft 
  wing-covers, 
  small 
  thorax, 
  and 
  

   rounded 
  head 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  thorax 
  by 
  a 
  comparatively 
  slender 
  neck, 
  

   receive 
  their 
  common 
  name 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  when 
  crushed 
  or 
  roughly 
  

   handled 
  they 
  cause 
  a 
  blister 
  on 
  the 
  skin 
  due 
  to 
  an 
  irritant 
  oil 
  secreted 
  

   by 
  the 
  beetle. 
  They 
  are 
  best 
  known 
  to 
  ordinary 
  agriculture 
  by 
  their 
  

   injuries 
  to 
  the 
  tomato 
  and 
  potato, 
  especially 
  to 
  the 
  latter. 
  Previous 
  to 
  

   the 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  hard-shelled, 
  thick-bodied 
  Colorado 
  potato-beetle 
  these 
  

   blister-beetles 
  were 
  the 
  principal 
  insect 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  potato, 
  and 
  are 
  

   frequently 
  referred 
  to 
  now 
  as 
  the 
  "old-fashioned 
  potato-beetle.'' 
  There 
  

   are 
  several 
  American 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  family, 
  some 
  striped 
  with 
  black 
  

  

  