﻿PACKAEu.] 
  THE 
  GOLDSMITH 
  BEETLE. 
  79 
  & 
  

  

  beetle. 
  His 
  account 
  was 
  first 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Naturalist 
  

   (vol. 
  ii, 
  pp. 
  186, 
  441). 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  May 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   culture 
  of 
  his 
  garden 
  the 
  spade 
  has 
  turned 
  up 
  this 
  beetle 
  generally 
  in 
  

   company 
  with 
  the 
  May 
  beetle. 
  He 
  found 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  beetles, 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  May 
  beetle, 
  assume 
  the 
  adult 
  beetle 
  state 
  in 
  October 
  

   and 
  remain 
  under-ground 
  for 
  seven 
  mouths 
  before 
  appearing 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring. 
  

  

  "Larva. 
  — 
  The 
  larvse 
  lie 
  describes 
  as 
  ' 
  whitisli 
  grubs, 
  about 
  one 
  inch 
  and 
  three-quar- 
  

   ters 
  long 
  and 
  over 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  thick, 
  with 
  a 
  yeilowish-brown 
  scale 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  cor- 
  

   responding 
  to 
  the 
  thorax.' 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  it 
  so 
  nearly 
  resembles 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  

   May 
  beetle 
  that 
  it 
  requires 
  a 
  close 
  examination 
  to 
  tell 
  them 
  aj)art. 
  The 
  proportions 
  

   of 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  ; 
  if 
  anything 
  the 
  Cotalpa 
  is 
  slightly 
  shorter 
  and 
  

   thicker, 
  and 
  its 
  body 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  short, 
  stiff 
  hair, 
  especially 
  at 
  the 
  end, 
  while 
  

   in 
  the 
  May 
  beetle 
  the 
  hairs 
  are 
  much 
  finer, 
  sparse, 
  and 
  the 
  skin 
  is 
  consequently 
  shiny. 
  

   They 
  also 
  differ 
  in 
  the 
  head, 
  being 
  fuller, 
  more 
  rounded 
  in 
  Cotalpa, 
  the 
  clypeus 
  shorter 
  

   and 
  very 
  convex, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  May 
  beetle 
  it 
  is 
  flattened. 
  The 
  upper 
  lip 
  (labrum; 
  is 
  in 
  

   Cotalpa 
  longer, 
  more 
  rounded 
  in 
  front 
  and 
  narrower 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  full 
  convex 
  on 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  May 
  beetle 
  it 
  is 
  flat. 
  The 
  antennae 
  are 
  longer 
  and 
  larger 
  

   in 
  the 
  goldsmith 
  beetle, 
  the 
  second 
  joint 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  half 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  third, 
  while 
  

   in 
  the 
  May 
  beetle 
  grub 
  it 
  is 
  nearly 
  three-quarters 
  as 
  long; 
  the 
  third 
  joint 
  is 
  much 
  

   longer 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  grub, 
  while 
  the 
  fourth 
  and 
  fifth 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  relative 
  

   length 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  May 
  beetle, 
  but 
  much 
  thicker. 
  The 
  jaws 
  (mandibles) 
  are 
  much 
  alike 
  

   in 
  both, 
  but 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  acute 
  in 
  the 
  Cotalpa 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  other, 
  nor 
  are 
  the 
  inner 
  teeth 
  

   so 
  prominent. 
  The 
  maxilla 
  is 
  much 
  longer 
  and 
  with 
  stouter 
  spines, 
  and 
  the 
  palpi 
  are 
  

   longer 
  and 
  slenderer 
  in 
  the 
  grub 
  of 
  Cotalpa 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  other, 
  though 
  the 
  joints 
  have 
  

   the 
  same 
  relative 
  proportion 
  in 
  each 
  ; 
  the 
  basal 
  joint 
  is 
  nearly 
  twice 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   May 
  beetle. 
  The 
  under 
  lip 
  (labium) 
  is 
  throughout 
  much 
  longer, 
  and 
  the 
  palpi, 
  though 
  

   two-jointed 
  in 
  each, 
  are 
  much 
  longer 
  and 
  slenderer 
  in 
  the 
  grub 
  of 
  Cotalpa 
  than 
  in 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  May 
  beetle. 
  The 
  feet 
  are 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  more 
  hairy 
  in 
  the 
  Cotalpa. 
  Both 
  

   larvse 
  are 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  long, 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  (.35) 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  thick 
  at 
  the 
  

   widest 
  part. 
  

  

  "As 
  regards 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  Dr. 
  Lockwood 
  

   remarks 
  that 
  ' 
  when 
  collecting 
  the 
  larvse 
  in 
  May, 
  I 
  often 
  observed 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  places 
  grubs 
  of 
  the 
  Cotalpa 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  distinct 
  ages, 
  each 
  

   representing 
  a 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  judging 
  from 
  Eenny's 
  

   figures 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  cockchafer, 
  or 
  dor 
  beetle 
  {Melolontha 
  

   vulgaris). 
  But 
  the 
  cockchafer 
  becomes 
  an 
  imago 
  in 
  January 
  or 
  February, 
  

   and 
  comes 
  forth 
  into 
  active 
  life 
  in 
  May, 
  just 
  four 
  years 
  from 
  the 
  deposit 
  

   of 
  the 
  egg. 
  Supposing 
  our 
  Cotalpa 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  .the 
  imago 
  form 
  in 
  

   autumn, 
  and 
  to 
  spend 
  its 
  life 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  May 
  in 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  five 
  years 
  old 
  when 
  it 
  makes 
  its 
  debut 
  as 
  an 
  arbo- 
  

   real 
  insect.' 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Lockwood 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  error 
  regard- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  this 
  beetle, 
  as 
  M. 
  T. 
  Eeiset 
  says 
  in 
  France 
  this 
  insect 
  is 
  

   three 
  years 
  in 
  arri 
  viu 
  g 
  at 
  its 
  perfect 
  beetle 
  state. 
  The 
  following 
  remarks 
  

   on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  chafer 
  may 
  aid 
  observers 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  

   in 
  studying 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  species. 
  M. 
  Meiset 
  says 
  (see 
  

   'Cosmos' 
  as 
  translated 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  vol 
  ii, 
  p. 
  209) 
  

   ' 
  that 
  this 
  beetle 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1865 
  defoliated 
  the 
  oaks 
  and 
  other 
  

   trees, 
  while 
  immense 
  numbers 
  of 
  their 
  larvse 
  in 
  the 
  succeeding 
  year, 
  

   1866, 
  devoured 
  to 
  a 
  fearful 
  extent 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  garden- 
  vegetables, 
  etc., 
  

   at 
  a 
  loss 
  to 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Seine 
  of 
  over 
  five 
  millions 
  of 
  

   dollars. 
  This 
  insect 
  is 
  three 
  years 
  in 
  arriving 
  at 
  its 
  perfect 
  beetle 
  state. 
  

   The 
  larvse, 
  hatched 
  from 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  the 
  beetles 
  which 
  appeared 
  in 
  

   such 
  numbers 
  in 
  1865, 
  passed 
  a 
  second 
  winter, 
  that 
  of 
  1867, 
  at 
  a 
  mean 
  

   depth 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  of 
  forty 
  one-hundredths 
  of 
  a 
  meter, 
  or 
  nearly 
  a 
  foot 
  

   and 
  a 
  half. 
  The 
  thermometer 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  (which 
  was 
  covered 
  

   with 
  snow) 
  at 
  this 
  mean 
  depth, 
  never 
  rose 
  to 
  thirty-two 
  degrees 
  F. 
  as 
  

   minimum. 
  Thus 
  the 
  larvoe 
  survived 
  after 
  being 
  perfectly 
  frozen 
  (prob- 
  

   ably 
  most 
  subterranean 
  larvte 
  are 
  thus 
  frozeu, 
  and 
  thaw 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  warm 
  weather). 
  In 
  June, 
  1867, 
  the 
  grubs 
  

  

  