35 
Description. Larva. (Plate V, Fig. 2 and 3).—'‘‘The larvae are 
small, 9 mm. to 12 mm. in length, sparsely hairy, and consid¬ 
erably flattened in form, tapering slightly toward the extremi¬ 
ties. The body is of a light waxy yellow color, with the head 
and following segment considerably darker. A deep linear mesal 
impression extends along the dorsum. The mandibles are rather 
large and not toothed. The caudal segment is much flattened, 
and has a nearly heart-shaped caudal notch formed by two short, 
broad projections that curve upward, each of which terminates 
in two short, blunt, horny, diverging tubercles. The dorsum 
of the segment is bounded by a narrow ridge which, at the 
sides of the segment, bears five or six short, horny tubercles. 
The oval area bounded by this ridge is strongly convex cephalad, 
and deeply concave caudad. This area is marked by two dis¬ 
tinct linear impressions diverging slightly cephalad from which 
many fine wavy wrinkles radiate. The" proleg is large, hairy, 
and has no raised ridge around its base, but the segment is 
deeply excavated just back of it.”* 
Adult. (Plate Y, Fig. 1.)—The beetles are small, from 6 mm. 
to 7 mm. in length. General color rusty red with black mark¬ 
ings. The body is closely punctured and covered with fine short 
yellowish hairs. The head, a fusiform spot on the thorax, an 
oblong spot near the base of each wing cover, and an irregular 
larger band crossing both wing-covers behind the middle, and 
the under side of the abdomen are black. The legs are brownish 
yellow. 
Notwithstanding the abundance of this species, comparatively 
little is yet known of its life history. Larvae placed in breeding 
cages by Professor Comstock April 24 were found July 4 to have 
reached the beetle stage in earthen cells in the sod. Comstock 
and Slingerland were not able to sav, however, whether the 
beetles soon emerged after this transformation or whether 
they hibernated in the earth. Our own records show so large a 
number of collections of hibernating beetles of this species made 
from a variety of situations, that there can be little doubt that 
free hibernation is their habit. For example, November 1, 1883, 
they were taken under boards lying upon the ground. On the 
*th of November, 1884, they occurred with other hibernating 
insects at Normal, Illinois; and on the 14th and 15th of the 
same month they were collected from driftwood along the Mis¬ 
sissippi River near Quincy. December 3, 1884, they were found 
in hibernation under leaves and rubbish in strawberry fields, 
December 2, 9 and 16, 1889, they were under boards on grass 
lands, and December 4 under leaves of dock and other plants 
in corn fields. December 23, 1891, and February 25, 1892, 
they were taken by us in the woods under leaves; and April 8, 
1890, from roots of old corn and from under boards. March 
♦Comstock and Slingerland, in Bull. 33, Ent.Div. Agr. Exper. Station, Cornell Univ..p.267. 
