20 



occur under carcasses of small animals, such as rabbits and birds, and 

 in garbage. 



The eggs are probably laid usually in decomposing material, hut it 

 has not been ascertained where they are deposited in beet fields. 



The larvro arc nocturnal, feeding chiefly in the evening and earl}'- 

 morning, and concealing themselves during the heat of the day about 

 the roots of the plants aft'ected. They first attack the parenchjmia 

 or outer surface of a k^af , leaving the skeleton more or less intact; 

 but Avhen in numbers they consume entire leaves, sometimes eating 

 them down to the ground. Afterwards they attack the roots. Where 

 the leaves are not severch^ eaten the plants recover, but if the foliage 

 is destroyed the plants usually die. The species is probably single- 

 brooded. As soon as the larvie become full fed injury ceases and the 

 plants, if not too seriously damaged, begin to take on new growth. 

 Larva' descend into the soil to a depth of three or four inches and 



there change to pupio and afterwards to 



XVs^^^^X'*'^ J beetles, in which stage they pass the 



jW'^B^z. f winter undisturbed and free from nat- 



ural enemies until the following spring, 

 when they reappear. 



THE SPINACH CARRION BEETLE. 



(iSIIjjJm bUuhirosa Lee.) 



This species resembles the preced- 

 ing, both in appearance and habits, but 

 differs in some important particulars, 

 ])cing a native species and restricted, 

 so far as injurious occurrences are con- 

 cei-ned, to the Northwest Territories and 

 neighboring portions of British America. It occurs, however, also 

 in northern Kansas, from which State it was originally described in 

 1859, and in Wyoming and Montana. Unlike the preceding species, 

 it attacks other vegetation than beets, although it seems probable that 

 it fed originally on plants of that family, such as lambsquarters and 

 another weed native to the 'Northwest (Mo?) olejns' mittalllana). Other 

 food plants are squash and pumpkin. The insect seems capable of 

 being quite destructive to all of these crops. Some vines of the 

 pumpkhi have been entirely destroyed. \n ADierta the larvse have 

 been I'cported as swarming in gardens in the spring, devouring leaves 

 of spinach and beet. 



The spinach carrion beetle (fig. 12) is much ])roader than the beet 

 carrion beetle, being more nearly oval, whereas the latter is elongate 

 oval. It measures nearly half an inch and is of the same black color. 

 The lar^•a is polished ])lack and does not appear to have been differ- 

 entiated from that of the preceding. 



Fig. 12. — Silplin bitubtnind: adult — much 

 enlarged (original, Division of Ento- 

 mology) . 



