54 Indian Museum. Notes. [.Vol. VI, 



Distribution. — Said to be common throughout the Indian region. 

 Reported from Calcutta (Sibpur). Dehra Dun plateau, North India 

 Elevation 2,000 ft. (mihi) and Dalsing Serai, Behar (H. W. Peal). 



Indian Museum Collections contain specimens from North India, 

 Calcutta, Ranchi, and the Andaman Islands. 



Life-History. — In Calcutta beetles were reared from larvae sent 

 to the Indian Museum in February 1894, adult insects being obtained 

 on the 17th and 19th of the month. It is thus evident that the 

 pupal stage of this generation of the insect is a short one. The 

 larvse were reported to be feeding upon Siphonophora scabiosae 

 which, had attacked and were ruining tobacco leaves in the Sibpur 

 Experimental Farm. 



In the middle of May 1902 the writer obtained pupae and 

 adults on the Dehra Dun plateau. The beetles were discovered 

 feeding with great avidity upon an aphis which was attacking and 

 destroying the foliage "of young peach trees. In this case it was 

 noted that about 7 days were spent in the pupal stage. It is not at 

 present certain whether this is a second generation of the insect in 

 the year, or whether, owing to the much colder climate in North 

 India, the insects found were in their first generation. The latter 

 is considered the most probable. The beetle is excessively voracious. 

 The writer discovered one attempting to feed upon the pupae 

 of H. variegata var. doubledayi (described above). It seized the 

 pupa with its fore and middle pairs of legs and endeavoured to 

 bore through one of the dorsal abdominal segments. The pupa 

 w 7 riggled its body actively backwards and forwards using its point 

 of attachment to the leaf as a fulcrum. The beetle, though with 

 difficulty maintaining its position under this motion, clung to the pupa 

 and would probably have killed it had not the writer interfered. 

 The Asistant Entomologist, Mr. Peal, found it, as will be seen from 

 bis report on p. 45, feeding upon the Indigo Aphid in Behar. 



This beetle was found finding upon a species of Aphis which 

 attacks Juar at Lyullpur, Punjab in September of this year (1903). 



Genus CJiilocoviis. 



Leach. Edin. Ency. IX. p. 116 (typ. cacti). 



Spread over the whole world. Head perpendicular or inclined. 

 Antennae short, hardly as long as the width of the forehead, with 

 a fusiform club. The sides of the thorax are nearly always 

 pubescent. 



Thorax black, elytra unicolorous black, or metallic or spotted 

 with red. Legs hidden beneath body in repose; claws furnished with 

 a basilar tooth. 



