COLEOPTERA. 47 



remember that nurseries are of two kinds, either temporary or per- 

 manent. The former, as is well known from a practical point of view, 

 is very advantageous ; but in selecting a site for a temporary nursery 

 we should not choose a spot adjacent to a wood which is known to be 

 swarming with cockchafer beetles, nor should we, as far as possible, 

 select an old pasture-field, unless it were found possible to cultivate it 

 with potatoes or other root crops, which, from the nature of the work- 

 ing, would either facilitate the picking out of the grubs, or otherwise 

 checking them in some practical way, prior to the cropping with young 

 trees. As, however, the larvae are quite as partial to the roots of 

 young trees in the nursery-lines as they are to the roots of grass, Ave 

 must adopt one of two methods, either to make the surface of the 

 nursery very distasteful to the female beetle as a spot to lay her eggs, 

 or otherwise we must check or trap the larvae themselves. With re- 

 gard to making the ground distasteful to the female beetle for egg- 

 deposition, we might regularly, from the beginning of May to the end 

 of July, sprinkle the surface with paraffin, sulphur, or in fact anything 

 which would have a tendency to keep the female beetles off. With 

 regard to collecting the larvae in the nursery, without doing injury to 

 the young plants a method of trap trenches might be adopted. If, 

 therefore, the nursery plot is a comparatively large one, we might cut 

 trenches at certain intervals, parallel with the lines, fill in those trap 

 trenches with sods of grass, rolls of bark, weeds, partially decomposed 

 turf, burned sods, layers of cow-dung, and such similar refuse as could 

 be conveniently collected. From time to time those trenches might 

 be turned up, the larvae collected, and the materials replaced. 



Another remedy for the larvae is, of course, to periodically green-crop 

 a portion of the nursery ground either for one or two seasons, as by so 

 doing we should be able to pick out a great many of the injurious 

 larvae; and in the case where the seedlings were to remain in the ground 

 following such cropping, say for one season only, the nursery crop 

 would be removed before any considerable damage would ensue. 



Melolontha hippocastani (Fabr.) 



" The beetle (fig. 47) greatly resembles the common cockchafer, but 

 is smaller, being only 20 to 25 mm. long. Antennae and legs dark- 

 brown or black. Tail shorter, more abruptly tapering, and somewhat 

 clubbed at its extremity. 



