BULLETIN OF THE BROOKLYN EXT. BOO. 35 



On Raising Coleoptera in Captivity. 



February 5th, 1 found two Cychrus Lecontei in coitu under moss, 

 and put them in a breeding box, they were in coitu from Febr. 5 

 to 9th, then from Febr. 18 to 23rd, then again from March 10 to 13. 



They fed on snails, and the snails on cabbage leaves. 



April 1st found another male, of which I cut off a few joints of 

 one antenna, in order to distinguish it, five minutes after enter- 

 ing the cage, the new male had already copulated with the female, 

 and remained so till April 4th, then copulated again from April 5 

 till April 9th. April 18 two of them fought about a soft larva and 

 one drove the other away. April 24th, I removed the three Cychrus 

 into another box, as 1 feared they might eat their own young. 



May 20 I found them all dead and no trace of eggs. 



March 31,1 captured several Carabus limbatus and put six males 

 and six females in a cage, 1 fed them every second day with a piece 

 of veal or beef [as large as a finger] . 



Very often some of the Carabi ran to the meat as soon as it reach- 

 ed the bottom of the box and soon the waole colony either attracted 

 by its smell or by the noise made with the maxillae and legs of those 

 already feeding drew near. [ had one larva and several eggs, when 



1 left for the country (July 4). 



In a third cage I had six Chlaenius aestivus : two male and four fe- 

 male and the same number of Galerita janus. As the larva of Gale- 

 rita has already been described and has a very different form from 

 other Carabidons larva I thought there would be no difficulty in 

 distinguishing them. I fed them also with meat, adding occa- 

 sionally a few leaves of lettuce. I had one larva of G-alerita, two 

 larvae of Chlaenius, (which have the two appendages on the tergal 

 part of the last segment furcated) and several eggs (July 4th). 



In the fourth cage I had severalu Cucujs clavipes, of which I 

 raised several larvae. In another cage I had a lot of Coleoptera viz. 

 Pterostichus, Chlaenius, Platynus, Galerita, Lebia, Dacne, Diaperis 

 hydni, Chrysomela, Cucujus clavipes, Sphenophorus etc. 



They were fed with meat and vegetables. 



As a matter af course the bottom of each box was covered about 



2 inches high with earth, moss, and decaying wood upon it, for 

 hiding places, and the ground sprinkled with water every two 

 days. 



I also kept alive in one cage several Cicindela sexguttata and re- 

 panda for three months, which copulated intermiscuously, dug 

 holes etc. but no larvae were found. 



