202 MAINE STATE COLLEGE 



to the roots of the corn. You remember I wrote } t ou the second 

 letter ; in that told you of twenty hills injured. If I remember, 

 was six beetles found ; some of them in close to the injured corn, 

 though not quite certain of it. I feel certain he is the fellow 

 that did it. N. H. Sleeper. 



From the a'.ove evidence it seems certain that the beetles are in 

 part responsible for the injury. This opinion is strengthened by 

 the letters from another locality given below. 



Auburx, Me., June 27, 1891. 

 Prof. F. L. Harvey: 



Dear Sir : — I send you by this mail two beetles that we found 

 eating the corn stocks, cutting them off just below the ground 

 in the same manner as the cut-worm. C. V. Manlev. 



Auburn, Me., May 1892. 

 Prof. F. L. Harvey, 



Orono, Me. : 

 Dear Sir : — Your letter of the 23d received. The beetles that I 

 sent you last season were found where barn manure was spread on 

 the land and phosphate put in the hill. There were but very few 

 cut-worms on the piece and not any in the hills where we found 

 the beetles. 



C. V. Manley. 



As this beetle belongs to the same family as the May beetle and 

 others that are found in the larval form in manure, probably it was 

 introduced from that source. As its larvae is not known nor any 

 of its habits or transformations, nothing can be asserted regarding 

 it. Efforts will be made to procure the larvse and determine its 

 changes. We know of no remedy better than killing the beetles 

 when found. 



Predaceous "Water Beetle. 



Dytiscus verlicalis, Say. 



(Ord. Coleoptera : Fam. Dytiseidse.) 



The above species was unusually abundant the last season. 



Specimens were received from various places and several were 



found in the writer's yard in Orono, and several specimens caught 



