28 BULLETIN 891, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



a small ant hill, but differs in that the particles of earth are coarser. 

 (PI. VII.) More often the males, after their daily flight or after 

 mating, burrow just beneath grass or loose sod, and in the case of 

 the putting greens of a golf course which are kept perfectly level and 

 the grass closely clipped, small mounds, resembling miniature mole 

 burrows, indicate the presence of a resting beetle beneath. The 

 females after mating go deeper into the soil, that is, from 2 to 4 or 5 

 inches, where they lay the eggs for the next generation. 



The beetles evidently detect their food by the sense of smell. An 

 overripe fig was placed in a rearing cage with a number of beetles 

 which had not fed for several days. Immediately one about 6 

 inches distant moved its head as though scenting the odor, circled 

 the fruit, and soon thereafter moved directly toward it and began 

 feeding on it. In another cage beetles refused ripe figs which were 

 not bruised, but when the skin was removed immediately attacked 

 them. While this does not definitely prove that the beetles will not 

 attack perfectly ripe fruit it tends to show that they are not at- 

 tracted to fig trees except by the odor of bruised fruits and it is of 

 course possible that they may when abundant attack fruits both 

 perfect and injured. 



HISTORY AND LITERATURE. 



While the literature of the green June beetle is large and there are 

 many unpublished notes in the Bureau of Entomology, it will not 

 be necessary in this article to mention any but the more interesting 

 facts, which have a bearing upon the destructiveness and the plant- 

 feeding habits of the species. 



In the original description of the species, published in 1758 by 

 Linnaeus (1, p. 350) , the name Scarabaeus nitidus was used. " Habi- 

 tat in India" was obviously erroneous. The genus Allorhina or 

 Cotinis is neither European nor Asiatic, and there is no doubt that 

 G. nitida is a native American species. The second habitat, "Caro- 

 lina," mentioned by Linnaeus (2, p. 26), refers to either North or 

 South Carolina. 



The first account of the habits of this species was published in 

 1865 by Dr. B. D. Walsh (3). Early records of the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology show that the larva was probably first reported to attack use- 

 ful plants in 1868, by G. G. Baker, who observed it in strawberry 

 beds at South Pass, 111. The larva? were confined with wheat roots, 

 of .which they devoured great quantities. April 15, 1868, they were 

 found in cocoons; by May 14 the change to pupa had taken place; 

 and by June 2 the adults had issued. 



Mention of the green June beetle was made by M. D. Thompson 

 (4) of Illinois in 1869. He stated briefly that the grubs feed on the 



