MTJSTAKD BEETLE. 



63 



the reeds and rushes, by ditches and drains ; in fact, in any available 

 shelter. 



From these winter quarters the beetles come out in spring, and 

 spread to any food-plant near, and especially amongst wild plants, to 

 Cresses or Charlock, or to others which, like Cabbage, Turnip, or 

 Mustard, are of the cruciferous kind. These various plants serve 

 the beetles for a place for their egg-laying until the Mustard is 

 ready, consequently to clear what may be called the nurseries of the 

 year's attack, as well as to prevent, so far as may be reasonably 

 possible, winter shelters being left for the parent beetles, are 

 respectively methods of lessening coming attack. 



On these food-plants the beetles which have lived through the 

 winter lay their small eggs, and then they die. The grubs feed 

 voraciously until they are full-grown, when they go down into the 

 earth to turn to chrysalids. From these the summer brood of beetles 

 come out in about a fortnight (it may be more or less), and these start 

 new attack, and thus the infestation goes on, which may continue 

 until quite late in the autumn. 



"With the history of the Turnip Flea Beetle we are all fairly 

 acquainted. 



The Seed Weevil destroys the seeds in the pods of various plants 

 of the Cabbage tribe, and is sometimes found in flowering heads of 

 Mustard. 



But of these infestations the worst, excepting the " Mustard 

 Beetle " itself, is that of the Melif/ethes, the Turnip-blossom Beetle. 

 This I had the opportunity of studying the life-history of, on Kape or 

 Cabbage, some years ago, in full detail day by day, and in all 

 conditions, from deposit of the egg by a great infestation of beetles, 

 to the descent of the grubs into the ground for change to the chrysalis 

 state, and in the course of observation the destructiveness of their 

 operations to the buds and flowers, and, as the grubs grew larger, to 

 the neighbouring stems was exceedingly noticeable. 



Its life-history may be shortly given thus : — When the Mustard 

 plant is knotting for flower, the opening buds and blossoms are very 

 often attacked by the " Turnip-blossom Beetle," the Meligethes ceneus. 

 This is of much the same shape as the " Mustard Beetle," but rather 

 smaller, and of a duller or more brassy green. The eggs are inserted 

 by the beetles in the buds ; the grubs which hatch from these are 

 whitish, with broad purple head, and some purplish markings, and 

 when full-grown are yellowish white. They feed on various parts of 

 the flower, especially at the base, and further on do harm by feeding 

 on the upper part of the flower-stalk, and the outside of the seed-pods. 

 Soon afterwards the grubs fall to the ground, bury themselves, and 

 turn to chrysalids in the ground. This attack appears to me to rank 



