206 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I905. 



in the front room into which they crept through cracks near the 

 base boards, though they entered the house also at the doorway 

 under the screen. If the)'^ were content to be quiet after once find- 

 ing a hiding place, their presence would be less objectionable, 

 often unsuspected indeed, but their exasperating persistence in 

 " climbing over everything only to drop into everything else " 

 as one housekeeper complained, entitles them to the rank of 

 household pests. 



The house at North Wayne was not visited until June 27, 

 1905, and at this time the beetles were not numerous enough to 

 give sufficient data as to the relation of their house infesting 

 habits to their out-of-door movements. Farther north, how- 

 ever, near Houlton July 5, ample opportunit}' for observation 

 was afforded. A day's search was made ^or the adult beetles 

 out of doors. They were not found hiding under planks, stones 

 or other objects in damp places, but in dr)'^ soil they were 

 frequently dug up from among the roots of plants. Some of 

 these were newty transformed from the pupal condition and 

 would naturally be found under the surface where the larval 

 period w^as passed, but others were well hardened specimens 

 which seemed to have sought the roots from above ground, ver\' 

 likeh' for the deposition of eggs. 



Toward the top of a hill along a hot, dust}- road more of the 

 beetles were found during the day than elsewhere. The road 

 was bordered b}' white clover, which may have been significant, 

 for larvae of the beetles were found at the roots of this plant. 

 The puzzling thing about the beetles here was the fact that they 

 (ordinarily more active during the evening) were wandering 

 restlessly across the road at mid day, under a scorching sun 

 which they were evidently glad to avoid, for even.^ time a leaf 

 or chip was placed near these wanderers ihej crept under- 

 neath and remained there. The question why, if they wanted 

 shelter, the)' had not apparently found it before mid day, was 

 unsolved until a horse and carriage passed, scattering dr}^ layers 

 of clay with which the road was well supplied at this place. 

 Then disturbed beetles were seen even,-v\here poking out from 

 crtmibled clay bits and walking off in search of another nook in 

 which to finish their nap. More than 200 beetles were captured 

 easily after this disturbance before they had found satisfactory 



