35 



NOTES ON THE LARVA OF THE MAY BEETLE— LACHNOSTERNA FUSCA. 



BY L. 0. HOWARD, WASHINGTON. 



The following note may prove of interest as showing the numbers in which the 

 larvae of Lachnosterna fusca may exist in a lawn without perceptible damage to the grass 

 resulting. 



On the 17th of September, while walking through the Capitol grounds a few hours 

 after a heavy shower of rain, I observed these larvae in great numbers upon the stone 

 pavement north and east of the Capitol building. I counted up to three hundred, and then 

 came to a spot where they were so thick that I had to give it up. I certainly saw thousands, 

 nearly all of which were dead, either from heat or from having been trodden upon. Upon 

 interviewing the Superintendent of the ground, I learned that at this season of the year the 

 grubs always make their appearance in like numbers after a hard rain. This gentleman 

 informed me, and his statement was corroborated by several others, that frequently 

 the sweepers of a morning in going over the walks would collect at the bottom of the 

 hill as many as a bushel of the grubs. The pavement is edged on both sides by a two- 

 inch curb, and the larvae falling over this are unable to return ; only those grubsinhabit- 

 ing the earth near the curb would reach the walk, and the great numbers killed in this 

 way after every shower afford an index to the immense number which the entire lawn 

 must contain. Yet, in spite of this most serious drawback, as one would naturally 

 call it, the grass over the entire plot is so fresh and green as to call for universal 

 admiration. 



The movements of the larvae upon the smooth pavement were very interesting. The 

 characteristic bend of the body unfits them for walking on smooth surfaces, and every live 

 individual that I observed was upon its back, moving forward quite rapidly by the alter- 

 nate expansion and contraction of the segments. This mode of locomotion seemed strange 

 at first, but upon reflecting that the probable natural position of the larva in the earth is 

 upon its back with its legs grasping the grass roots, it seemed not so unnatural after all. 

 The strong transverse corrugations and rows of bristles upon the dorsum, taken in connec- 

 tion with the extremely business-like and natural air with which the larvae took this 

 position and the rapid progress which they made while in it, would seem to indicate that 

 the back is used for locomotion with these insects more than has perhaps been suspected. 



OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS' CLUB. 



We are glad to learn that the Naturalists resident in Ottawa have organized under 

 the above heading, with the avowed object of paying special attention to the Natural 

 History of the Ottawa District. The Club is under the patronage of His Excellency the 

 Governor-General, and has an efficient staff of officers ; among whom we observe the names 

 of two of our esteemed contributors, J. Fletcher and W. H. Harrington, both enthusiastic 

 Entomologists, and we are pleased to see Entomology so well represented in this connec- 

 tion. It is intended to have occasional excursions during the summer, and evening meet- 

 ings during the winter for the pursuit and discussion of Natural History subjects. Al- 

 ready the Club has had one very successful excursion, the party numbering in all, ladies 

 and gentlemen, about forty. We should like to see such clubs organized in every city in 

 our Dominion. There is a growing fondness for this interesting study, especially among 

 our young people, and a little stimulus of this sort would materially aid in developing it. 



OBITUARY NOTICES. 



W. V. ANDREWS. 



It becomes our painful duty to announce the death of one of our correspondents, Mr. 

 W. V. Andrews, of Brooklyn, N. Y., who died on the 20th of October, 1878, after a brief 

 illness, resulting from a sudden attack of paralysis. 



