61 



ON THE HABITS AND DESCRIPTION OF A DESTRUCTIVE 

 BEETLE.— {MELOLONTHA DESTR UCTOR). 



By Otto Tepper, Corb. Member. 



(Read June 18, 1878). 



Some years ago I resided for about eighteen months in the district of 

 Monarto, about eight miles east of Callington and the River Bremer, 

 arriving there shortly after Christmas, 1871. The peculiar appearance 

 of nearly all the larger Encalypts struck me at once as something re- 

 markable, not having observed anything like it before. The branches of 

 these Eucalypts — (E.Viminalisf?) and E. Odorata) — did not carry their 

 leafy crown at the extremity as usual, but axillary, a great number of 

 their twigs having sprouted along three sides of the limbs, exhibited the 

 only green upon the greater number. They presented an appearance as 

 if artificially surrounded with wreaths, when viewed from a distance. 

 A few of the younger and more vigorous individuals still preserved the 

 normal habitus entire, while some had a few branches affected as de- 

 scribed above. 



This state of unhe althiness, for such it was evidently, did not extend 

 to such parts where the undergrowth had been left comparatively undis- 

 turbed, but only to the cleared portions and the borders thereof. At 

 that time the farmers had occupied the place for about four years, and 

 everything still looked rather primitive. Making inquiries, I was told 

 that a beetle committed these depredations. This information I re- 

 garded rather dubiously for some time, finding so very few live speci- 

 mens, and still less remains of dead ones. On some previous occasions I 

 had seen Eucalypti stripped of their leaves, but had found the larvce of 

 divers moths and Chrysomelidse to be the perpetrators. Great as was 

 the damage done by the latter, yet it was in no proportion to what I had 

 now before me. What immense numbers of this beetle must there be at 



