62 CALOSOMA SYCOPHANTA. 



number deposited, and if this supposition be true it indicates that a 

 vigorous male beetle can successfully fertilize three females during 

 the season and possibly more. 



The Effect on Egg Deposition of Removing Beetles from Hibernation. 



In March and April, 1908, cages containing several pairs of beetles 

 were removed and brought to the laboratory and kept in a heated 

 room. These beetles began laying eggs slightly earlier than those 

 that emerged from hibernation normally, and most of them finished 

 ovipositing by the 1st of July. The number laid was far below the 

 average that is usually deposited by normal beetles and many of the 

 specimens died earlier in the summer than is usually the case. 



Effect of Cold Storage on Egg Deposition. 



Several pairs of beetles were kept in cold storage during the winter 

 of 1908-9. They were placed in the cold room soon after they devel- 

 oped from the pupae and were removed March 16 and May 11, 1909. 

 Very few of these laid eggs during the summer and most of them 

 went into hibernation again the following winter. The number of 

 larvae produced the first year was far below the number secured from 

 beetles of the same age that were allowed to emerge from hibernation 

 at the normal time. In the case of old beetles the difference in the 

 number of eggs deposited was not noticeable unless the beetles were 

 kept in the cold room much longer than they would remain in hiberna- 

 tion under natural conditions. 



Relation of Size of Beetles to Reproduction. 



Among the specimens imported there is always considerable varia- 

 tion in size, and this is also true, possibly to a greater extent, with the 

 specimens reared. 



In order to determine whether differences in size had any special 

 effect on the number of eggs deposited, measurements were made 

 of a large number of the breeders during the summer of 1909. 



Both sexes were measured, and in order to secure some standard 

 to show the average size of each sex, four measurements were taken 

 as follows: 



(1) Length from anterior edge of thorax to tip of elytra. 



(2) Length of elytra. 



(3) Width of elytra at humeral angles. 



(4) Length (ventral) of abdomen from between posterior coxal 

 cavities to tip. 



These measurements were added together and divided by 4 to get 

 the average. 



