106 E. P. Stebbing — Discovery o/Thanasimus sp. prox. nigricollis. [No. 3, 



except last which is narrower and brown posteriorly and terminates in 

 two small black processes. The larva? tapers anteriorly and has three 

 pairs of legs on the thoracic segments and no others. It is slightly 

 lighter in colour beneath. Long. 15-18 millim. (varies). A single speci- 

 men of the beetle was first taken on the 16th June at Kathian, in the 

 Jannsar Hills, but it was not until the 2ith of the month that the insect 

 was secured in any numbers ; this was in the forests round Pajidhar in 

 Tehri Garhwal. Some deodar fellings were being carried out in these 

 forests, and trees, cat at the end of April and still lying unbarked upon the 

 ground, were found to be full of the larva? and adults of two recently 

 discovered bark-boring Scolytida?, Scotylus major and S. minor, Steb. MS. 

 The Thanasimus was discovered in some abundance, flying about over the 

 trees or running about on the bark, whilst in the beetle and larval 

 galleries beneath the latter its pink-coloured larva? were numerous. 



Before describing the life-history of the clerid, it will perhaps be 

 advisable to describe the state of affairs at Pajidhar. It has been 

 mentioned that deodar fellings had commenced towards the end of 

 April, and were still being carried on at the time of the writer's visit. 

 The trees cut were not barked, or in any way touched, until converted 

 into timber — chiefly sleepers. They therefore lay several months in 

 the forest. The scolytid beetles above referred to commence laying 

 the eggs of the first generation of the year towards the end of April or 

 beginning of May. For this purpose they require the fresh bast layer 

 of the deodar, preferring sickly trees and, more especially, newly felled 

 ones in which the upward flow of sap has ceased. Failing such they will 

 attack young, green, healthy trees. At Pajidhar the fellings had com- 

 menced at a most opportune time for the bark-borers and large num- 

 bers of females were attracted to the newly felled trees and at once 

 burrowed into them and oviposited. Towards the end of June the 

 larva? from these eggs were full grown, and in many cases had changed 

 to the pupal state. The larva? were being attacked by the predaceous 

 clerid grubs. A curious point about the life-history of these scolytid 

 beetles, is that the female does not die as soon as she has finished laying 

 her eggs, but remains in the long egg-gallery she bores in the bast layer 

 and sap wood parallel to the long axis of the tree, or in the entrance gallery 

 in the bark, and lives here until the larva? are full grown, at times going 

 up to the outside. When she finally dies she does so near the entrance 

 hole, thus effectually blocking it up and preventing predaceous enemies 

 from entering and feeding upon the pupa? at the end of the larval burrows. 

 It would appear probable that this prolongation of life after oviposition 

 is in some way connected with the protection of the young larva?. It was 

 upon these female scolytid beetles that the adult clerid was feeding. 



