22 
extreme abundance of these larve in the grass lawns on the west front of 
the Capitol at Washington, but, at the same time, showed that the lawn 
was so green and healthy in appearance as to cause admiring comment. 
This, however, was after a rainy summer. In June, 1888, these larve 
were apparently responsible for very considerable damage to the lawns 
on the east front of the Capitol. The grass turned brown and the larvee 
were found to be present in extraordinary numbers. This, however, 
was during a dry month, and Lachnosterna larve were also present. 
In 1893 the larve were found to be swarming in choice celery beds 
near Washington. The only vegetation in the vicinity of the beds was 
the celery itself and there had been no grass or low vegetation upon the 
field during the previous summer. Observations-were begun in October. 
Very careful examination failed to show any damage to the roots of the 
celery, but the crop was slightly damaged by the carriage of dirt into the 
heart by the larve and by their acid excrement causing rot. During the 
daytime they remained constantly under the surface of the ground, and 
there was abundant evidence that they come out to the surface at night 
and even crawl up the plants for an inch or so. In this case, as in all the 
cases which we have investigated in which these larve were more than 
usually abundant, the beds were heavily mulched with large masses of 
rotting straw mixed with a considerable amount of stable manure, and 
the extraordinary number of the larvee seems with little doubt to be 
accounted for by the fact that such conditions attract the beetles and 
they lay their eggs under such circumstances. The writer has repeat- 
edly noticed them ovipositing in the earth of the heavily manured 
flower beds on the grounds of the United States Department of Agri- 
culture at Washington, while apparently no attempt was made to ov} 
posit in the adjacent lawns. 
Occasionally a great abundance of larvee in strawberry beds may be 
accounted for in the same way. It is a matter of regret that no direct 
observations have been made upon the feeding of this larva. Such 
observations, however, are very difficult to make. Attempts have been 
made with the aid of the Comstock root cages, but without result. 
Larve have been watched repeatedly for more or less extended peri- 
ods, but have never been observed to feed. The direct evidence on 
this point, therefore, is very meager, and their normal feeding habits 
can only be surmised, although this surmise may be made with a con- 
siderable degree of positiveness. 
Kvery writer who has published an account of the habits of this 
insect has assumed that the larva feeds upon the living roots of plants, 
but the only exact observation on record is that mentioned by Riley in 
Bulletin No. 23 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, in 
which he says that in 1868 in his breeding cages the larve fed greedily 
upon roots of wheat which he grew for them. In addition to the con- 
trary evidence already given, Prof. C. H. Tyler Townsend recorded in 
Insect Life (Vol. IV, p. 25,) the finding of Allorhina larvee in a bare spot 
