78 PAPERS ON CEREAL AND FORAGE IXSECTS. 



July 4, 1911, the cage was again examined and the larvae were 

 found to be about ±i inches long. From early in July to the middle 

 of August it became necessary to be away from Govan, where this 

 experiment was in progress. On returning, August 16, the root cage 

 was examined and two adults found about 6 inches below the surface. 

 They were hard and had evidently emerged some days before this 

 date. \Yhen the boards which had been placed over the barrel to 

 protect it during the winter were removed in the spring, a number 

 of adults was found that had hibernated under this shelter. On the 

 above date and at a depth of about 20 inches a very young false 

 wireworm (3.5 mm. long) was found; it was pure white and had 

 evidently but very recently hatched. This larva was undoubtedly 

 the voung of one of these accidentallv introduced beetles. 



The soil at this time was dry to a depth of 4 inches. On June 25 a 

 pupa was found in the field, placed in a pill box with dirt, and on the 

 30th an adult Eleodes letcheri vandyJcei emerged. In the fields, where 

 a farmer was plowing his summer-fallow — and it may be remarked 

 that this is exceptionally late for working the summer-fallow in this 

 country — pupae were found turned out by the plow. A little flock 

 of Brewer's blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus) were walking in the 

 furrow a few yards behind the plow and picking up the upturned 

 insects. 



From the middle of July until the grain is harvested adults are to 

 be found in large numbers under the grain shocks and bundles as they 

 stand in the field, and also under grain sacks. Most of the beetles 

 are quite soft early in the season, but later become hard. 



DESCRIPTIONS. 



Eleodes letcheri vandykei Blaisd. 



The egg (fig. 23). — The egg is bluntly oval in longitudinal section and circular in cross 

 section; it measures 1.1 mm. in length and 0.62 mm. in diameter; it is of a pure glis- 

 tening white color and absolutely without sculpturing. Ovarian eggs measured 1.17 



mm. in length and 0.74 mm. in diameter. 



The larva (fig. 24). — Elongate, subcylindrical, con- 

 vex dorsally, flattened ventrally. Yellowish, ventral 

 surface paler, anterior and posterior margins of first 

 thoracic and posterior margins of succeeding segments 

 brown; head slightly brown, edge of mandibles black, 

 base of mandibles brown; claws, spines on legs, and 

 caudal segment dark brown; antennae pale yellow. 

 Fig. 23.-False wireworm, Eleodes Anterior and posterior margins of .first and posterior 

 letcheri vemdykei: Egg. Greatly margins of succeeding segments with striate marginal 

 enlarged. (Original.) bands; band on anterior margin of first segment 



broader and more coarsely, striate. Caudal segment scutelliform, flattened dorsally 

 and c. wex ventrally, bearing 18 stout spines on its margin— 4 on each lateral mar- 

 gin and 10 on terminal margin; a slight space equal to that occupied by one spine 

 separates the lateral from the terminal spines. Several long hairs and a basal row 



