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like troublesome numbers; but this time for some reason they were 
present in countless numbers. In Monmouth and Cumberland counties 
carrots were almost entirely destroyed by them. The fields were at- 
tacked when the young plants had just made their appearance above 
ground, and were eaten off so completely that in the course of two or 
three days nothing was left on the ground. Young beets were then 
attacked, but not so generally as were the carrots. The insects mani- 
fested a very catholic disposition so far as their food was concerned, 
and ate almost everything that came to hand. Melons of all kinds, 
grown in some places, had the leaves riddled by them, while every 
plant of Pigweed bore a dozen or more specimens; in fact Pigweed 
seemed to have been a very great favorite, and in some cases even 
these plants were killed by the attacks of the insects. The attack was 
over, however, in two or three weeks, and since that time few of the 
insects have been seen. I have made no attempt to work out the life 
history of the insects, as I have been under the impression that it has 
been already worked out, or was being studied by Mr. Bruner. 
Another insect that stood the winter remarkably well was the Sweet- 
potato Flea-beetle, Chcetocnema eonfinis. This made its appearance in 
perfectly euormous numbers in Gloucester and part of Salem counties, 
fairly riddling the leaves with its peculiar channels. The insect does 
not seem to spread very much; but I have found specimens of its 
work on the Bind- weed in Cumberland County. It is more than prob- 
able that this Bind- weed is really the ordinary food plant of the insect, 
and that from this it has come to sweet potato. I have been again 
unsuccessful in getting at the early stages of this species with any 
degree of certainty, though I am now convinced that the larva of the 
insect lives in the small rootlets which are so abundant on the sweet 
potato plant. I have noticed in a number of cases of plants that have 
been badly infested by the beetles early in the spring, that about three 
weeks later a great many of these small rootlets had been apparently 
eaten out. I did not find any larvae, but hardly know to what else this 
injury could be attributed : there is certainly no other part of the plant 
that nourishes the larva?. I kept a large number of specimens of the 
beetle in confinement for about two weeks in a jar containing growing- 
plants ; but failed to obtain upon them either eggs or larvae, although 
the beetles copulated freely in confinement. One fact I have learned 
through the Philadelphia collectors, and that is, that the beetles again 
make their appearance in July and August, and that they hibernate as 
adults. Specimens have been sifted out by Mr. Wenzel from material 
collected in January. This explains also why insects are always first 
seen at the edges of fields adjoining roads, fences, and especially wood- 
lands. 
One of the unexpected occurrences of the season was the abnormal 
increase of the "Wheat-head Army-worm," the larva of Leucanxa albi- 
linea. In two or three counties of the State north of Trenton and 
