STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
435 
CUCUMBER-BEETLE. ITS LARVA. 
portion. It is tlie thick succulent part between the small fibrous rootlets and 
the surface of the ground in which this larva works, gnawing its surface iu 
irregular spots of various sizes, as represented in the figure. Sometimes holes 
are bored directly through the root, transversely. More commonly, especially 
when the root is young and tender, the worm works in the centre, consum¬ 
ing the whole length of the pith from the surface of the ground downward 
to the tapered part. Sometimes only a part of the pith is destroyed. One 
young plant on being' carefully taken up and examined, was found to have 
an inch in length of its root all eaten away, only the bark on one side re¬ 
maining, rough and ragged, and almost severed at one point; whilst on 
each side of this eroded space all the central portion was consumed, down¬ 
ward to the slender rootlets, and upward, extending above the ground to 
the seed leaves, only the outer bark remaining. On removing the earth 
from around the root of a withering plant, a worm will sometimes be dis¬ 
covered lying on its outer surface, which immediately hides itself by 
crawling into some one of the holes in the root. And on dissecting the 
root, from one to a half-dozen worms are found inside, scattered about at 
different points. Moreover, when recently planted seeds are beginning to 
germinate, if the growing point which they send out chances to be found 
by one of these worms, it is devoured with avidity, and the worm entering 
the seed continues to feed upon the inclosed meat until this also is con¬ 
sumed. I have thus found them iu sevelal instances nestled inside of the 
largo seeds of the squash. 
The Larva is represented in the annexed cut, greatly magnified, the small 
figure on the left side showing its natural size and appear¬ 
ance. It is a soft, slender, cylindrical worm, slightly 
tapered towards its forward end. It is of a dull white 
color, with the head and the last segment of the body black. 
Frequently some tawny yellowish stains are seen here and 
there upon its surface, some of which form traces of a stripe 
along the middle of the back. When crawling it is more 
elongated and more distinctly tapered auteriorly than 
when it is at rest, and it then measures 0.30 to 0.35 in 
length. It is composed of thirteen segments, faintly 
marked by impressed transverse lines at the sutures. Its 
head is but half as wide as the broadest part of the body, 
and is longer than broad, of a short oval form, flattened, 
cumber-beetle, and held obliquely downward and forward, with its base 
sunk into the first ring of the body. It is of a horny texture, polished and 
shining, coal-black or sometimes black-brown, with minute bristles scat¬ 
tered over its surface. The neck or second segment is shorter than any r 
of the other segments, broader than long, stained with brown above, its 
anterior end concave for receiving the base of the head, and its underside 
hearing the first pair of feet. The segments of the body are nearly as long 
as wide, each having a small tubercle in the middle upon each side, which 
tubercles aye broad, Hat, and but slightly elevated from the surface, and 
are frequently made more distinct by being of a pale tawny color. Three fine 
Larva of tho Cu- 
