﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  SWEET-POTATO 
  HELMET-BEETLE. 
  739 
  

  

  in 
  gardens; 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1845, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  sent 
  

   to 
  me 
  as 
  abounding 
  on 
  decayed 
  portions 
  of 
  planted 
  potatoes, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  

   met 
  with 
  them 
  likewise 
  about 
  the 
  tubers 
  and 
  in 
  flower-pots, 
  where 
  they 
  

   burrow 
  in 
  all 
  directions. 
  Some 
  I 
  received 
  in 
  July 
  were 
  about 
  J 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch 
  long, 
  of 
  an 
  ochreous-brown 
  or 
  snuff 
  color, 
  and 
  shagreened 
  ; 
  the 
  

   back 
  is 
  slightly 
  convex, 
  with 
  twelve 
  well-defined 
  wrinkled 
  segments, 
  

   and 
  a 
  horny, 
  shining 
  head, 
  much 
  narrower 
  than 
  the 
  body, 
  intensely 
  

   black 
  or 
  inclining 
  to 
  chestnut 
  color, 
  and 
  slighty 
  hairy 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  eight 
  

   distinct 
  spiracles 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  the 
  penultimate 
  segment 
  is 
  rounded, 
  

   with 
  four 
  teeth 
  on 
  the 
  margin, 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  one 
  has 
  four 
  smaller 
  teeth, 
  

   with 
  two 
  large 
  spiracles 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  feet. 
  

  

  "They 
  were 
  transformed 
  to 
  pupas 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   August, 
  and 
  were 
  then 
  yellowish-white 
  ; 
  the 
  thoracic 
  portion 
  was 
  very 
  

   thick, 
  with 
  two 
  horns 
  in 
  front 
  ; 
  the 
  body 
  slender 
  and 
  subcylindric, 
  the 
  

   segments 
  very 
  distinct, 
  with 
  spiracles 
  down 
  the 
  sides, 
  and 
  the 
  tail 
  spiny. 
  

  

  "The 
  flies 
  hatched 
  on 
  the 
  21st 
  of 
  August, 
  but 
  they 
  abound 
  in 
  fields, 
  

   hedges, 
  especially 
  under 
  trees, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  highways 
  around 
  Lon- 
  

   don, 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  that 
  month; 
  and 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  two 
  broods 
  of 
  them, 
  as 
  

   they 
  are 
  found 
  likewise 
  in 
  May, 
  They 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Tipulid^, 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Bilophus. 
  The 
  species 
  was 
  named 
  febrilis 
  by 
  Lin- 
  

   naeus, 
  from 
  the 
  generally-received 
  opinions 
  in 
  Sweden 
  of 
  these 
  flies 
  

   resorting 
  to 
  houses 
  where 
  intermittent 
  fevers 
  existed. 
  

  

  " 
  D. 
  febrilis 
  is 
  intensely 
  black, 
  shining, 
  and 
  hairy. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  is 
  hemis- 
  

   pheric, 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  large 
  densely 
  pubescent 
  eyes 
  of 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  color. 
  There 
  

   are 
  three 
  minute 
  ocelli 
  forming 
  aa 
  elevated 
  triangle 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  the 
  tip 
  ia 
  broad, 
  

   and 
  the 
  feelers 
  incurved 
  ; 
  the 
  trunk 
  is 
  oval 
  and 
  gibbose, 
  with 
  two 
  transverse 
  rows 
  of 
  

   minute 
  teeth 
  before; 
  the 
  scutel 
  is 
  short 
  and 
  broad 
  ; 
  abdomen 
  sublinear, 
  eight-jointed, 
  

   the 
  apex 
  clubbed 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  wings 
  are 
  incumbent 
  in 
  repose, 
  perfectly 
  transparent 
  and 
  

   white 
  but 
  iridescent, 
  the 
  pinion 
  only 
  is 
  slightly 
  tinged 
  with 
  brown, 
  the 
  costal 
  nervures 
  

   pitchy, 
  the 
  others 
  very 
  faintly 
  marked 
  ; 
  a 
  radial 
  nervure 
  uniting 
  with 
  the 
  costa 
  at 
  the 
  

   iuiddle 
  forms 
  a 
  brown 
  spot 
  at 
  the 
  extremity: 
  two 
  balancers, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  compressed 
  

   brown 
  club 
  ; 
  it 
  has 
  six 
  long 
  legs 
  ; 
  anterior 
  thighs 
  the 
  thickest, 
  the 
  shanks 
  very 
  short, 
  

   the 
  apex 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  coronet 
  of 
  teeth. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  several 
  short 
  spines 
  outside 
  ; 
  

   feet 
  slender, 
  five-jointed, 
  terminated 
  by 
  claws 
  and 
  suckers 
  ; 
  length, 
  2^ 
  lines 
  ; 
  expanse, 
  

   5 
  lines. 
  The 
  female 
  is 
  larger 
  and 
  very 
  different, 
  the 
  head 
  being 
  much 
  less, 
  with 
  small 
  

   oval 
  eyes 
  not 
  meeting 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  ; 
  the 
  abdomen 
  is 
  brownish 
  and 
  elongated, 
  ovate 
  at 
  

   the 
  extremity 
  but 
  narrowed 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  the 
  tip 
  is 
  furnished 
  with 
  two 
  minute 
  tuber- 
  

   cles; 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  much 
  longer 
  and 
  very 
  ample, 
  entirely 
  brown, 
  the 
  pinion 
  being 
  the 
  

   darkest, 
  with 
  a 
  brown 
  stigmatic 
  spot 
  ; 
  all 
  the 
  nervures 
  are 
  pitchy 
  : 
  the 
  anterior 
  thighs 
  

   are 
  incrassated. 
  

  

  " 
  These 
  insects 
  fly 
  heavily, 
  their 
  hinder 
  legs 
  hanging 
  down, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   evening 
  they 
  become 
  sluggish, 
  resting 
  on 
  herbage 
  and 
  bushes. 
  The 
  

   larvae 
  also 
  inhabit 
  cow-dung 
  and 
  horse-muck 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  therefore 
  very 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  introduced 
  into 
  potato-grounds 
  with 
  the 
  manure, 
  or 
  

   the 
  flies 
  may 
  be 
  attracted 
  to 
  highly-manured 
  ground 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  

   €ggs 
  ; 
  for 
  so 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  economy 
  of 
  many 
  insects, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  determine 
  their 
  exact 
  habits 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  no 
  description 
  or 
  

   figures 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae 
  of 
  this 
  fly 
  until 
  I 
  sent 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  Gardener's 
  Chronicle." 
  

  

  INJURINGr 
  THE 
  SWEET-POTATO. 
  

  

  The 
  Helmet-Beetle, 
  Coptocycla 
  aurichalcea 
  (Pabricius). 
  — 
  Feeding 
  on 
  the 
  leaves- 
  

   broad, 
  flattened, 
  spiny 
  grubs, 
  holding 
  their 
  cast-off 
  skins 
  over 
  their 
  backs. 
  ' 
  

  

  This 
  beetle, 
  which 
  usually 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  morning-glory, 
  

   will 
  sometimes 
  destroy 
  whole 
  fields 
  of 
  sweet- 
  potatoes, 
  and 
  is 
  specially 
  

   injurious 
  to 
  plants 
  transferred 
  from 
  hot-houses. 
  

  

  . 
  The 
  larva 
  is 
  broad 
  and 
  flat, 
  with 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  large, 
  long, 
  barbed, 
  spines 
  

   along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  sixteen 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  the 
  two 
  posterior 
  of 
  

  

  