42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



life cycle of the June beetle extends over several years. The in- 

 vestigations of Dr S. A. Forbes, State Entomologist of Illinois, 

 who has given particular attention to these pests, show that the life 

 cycle extends over a period of three years. He calls attention to 

 the fact that the European M' e 1 o 1 o n t h a vulgaris Linn, 

 completes its life cycle in three years if the season be moist and 

 favorable, whereas under adverse dry conditions the period may be 

 extended to four years, and adds that this European pest has a 

 four year period in the north of Germany and a three year period 

 in the south. He is inclined to believe that our American species 

 may show similar variations in habit. He states tnat all of our 

 more abundant species begin to transform to the pupa in June or 

 July, changing to the beetle in August or September and then 

 remain in the larval cell till the following March, April or May. 

 This data goes to show that white grubs occurring in the earth later 

 than the middle of September will not change to beetles that year, 

 but under ordinary circumstances winter as grubs and continue their 

 destructive work till the following June. This point is of particular 

 importance to the owners of infested fields, since an examination of 

 the land in the middle of September should enable them to deter- 

 mine with reasonable accuracy the danger of injury by these pests 

 the following year. It is well known that the adult beetles feed 

 upon the foliage of a variety of trees, and there are a number of 

 records showing severe injury, not only to forest trees but also to 

 fruit trees, in which latter case the blossoms may be seriously dam- 

 aged. Professor Forbes's observations show that the beetles remain 

 in the grass fields during the day and that at about dusk there is a 

 simultaneous movement of the beetles from the field to the forests, 

 they returning again in very early morning, ordinarily before 4 a. m. 

 Another species, known as the green June beetle or fig eater, 

 Allorhina nitida Linn, deserves notice in this connection, 

 because though southern in distribution, it occurs on Long Island, 

 occasionally in great abundance. This grub closely resembles, in a 

 general way, our ordinary white grub, except that it is somewhat 

 more hairy and it may be readily distinguished from our more 

 common species by its peculiar method of locomotion. These grubs, 

 when moving, turn upon the back and progress in a peculiar un- 

 dulating manner by successive contractions of the body segments. 

 This larva, according to Dr Howard, unlike the northern forms, 

 frequently emerges from its burrows at night and apparently is not 

 very injurious to living plants, since it has been found to be excep- 



