12 BULLETIN 417, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



In 1912 several tachinid flies (PL II, B) were reared by the junior 

 author from C. sycopJianta, but the adults which emerged were so badly 

 crippled that determination of the species was very difficult. The 

 specimens have been examined by Mr. Frederick Eaiab, of the Bureau 

 of Entomology, and also by Mr. Charles W. Johnson, of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History. Their determinations agree that the 

 species is either Biomyia cinerea Fall, or B. georgiae. Unfortunately 

 there are no pinned specimens of cinerea with which the material 

 reared could be compared, but owing to their poor condition and to the 

 fact that these tachinids were reared from a Calosoma beetle collected 

 in Massachusetts and not from one imported directly from Europe, it 

 is probable that the species concerned is georgiae. Tachinid puparia 

 have been found in the bodies of both G. caliduTn and C. frigidum 

 during the last few years, and a careful comparison has failed to indicate 

 any differences between these and the puparia of georgiae. Unfortu- 

 nately, adults were not secured from these puparia. Mr. Johnson 

 beheves that this species should be more correctly referred to the 

 genus Viviania Rond., so that rather positive evidence is at hand 

 that Viviania georgiae ^ attacks three species of Calosoma in this coun- 

 try, namely, calidum, frigidum, and sycophanta. It is probable that 

 the percentage of parasitism of Calosoma beetles by this tachinid is 

 rather smaU, as only a few records of its work have been secured. 



EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE IF SKUNKS, FOXES, AND RACCOONS PREY UPON 



CALOSOMA BEETLES. 



January 27, 1913, the junior writer took some living adults of syco- 

 phanta to Franklin Park Zoological Garden, Boston, Mass., and 

 secm-ed permission from Mr. J. T. Benson, curator, to isolate one 

 skunk (which happened to be an old female), and these specimens 

 were offered as food. The animal was placed in the cage about 10.30 

 a. m. and a cigar box one-haK full of earth, containing four adult 

 beetles, was put in at the same time. She scarcely noticed the box 

 of earth at first, but by 12 m. had tipped it over and consumed the 

 four beetles, leaving only two elytra. Two extra specimens were 

 put in the cage at noon and these were quickly consumed. Excre- 

 ment was passed in the afternoon of that day, but no parts of the 

 beetles were found in it. The following morning excrement- was 

 removed from the cage. It was composed partly of undigested 

 parts of sycophanta, including elytra, legs, and other chitinous append- 

 ages. (PI. IV.) 



The same sort of an experiment was conducted with a red fox 

 (Vulpes fulva) and a raccoon (Procyon lotor), on January 25, 1913, 

 at the Middlesex FeUs menagerie, Stoneham, Mass. Mr. A. N. Hab- 

 berley, superintendent of the Fells division, Metropolitan Park System, 

 kindly permitted these animals to be used for the purpose. A cigar 

 box of earth containing three males and one female sycophanta was 

 placed in the cage at 9 a. m., but the fox would not notice them 

 until Mr. Habberley and the junior writer had receded a short dis- 

 tance from it. In less than 10 minutes from the time they were put in 

 the animal tipped over the box and consumed all the beetles. Later 

 a fresh dead female was thrown into the cage and was eaten imme- 

 diately. Excrement was found in the cage on the morning of Janu- 

 ary 27 which contained well-ground particles of the beetles. 



1 Specimens have been described recently by Dr. C. H. T. Townsend as EvMomyia calosomae coq. 



