152 
Professor H. Garraan* notes the occurrence of small numbers 
of predaceous beetles and larvae in summer and fall with young 
root worms in the earth. He also mentions some internal para¬ 
sites of the imago—Gregarinae and nematoid worms. 
Notwithstanding the abundance of the adult Diabrotica and 
its general distribution upon a great variety of plants, it seems 
but little noticed by birds. It has occurred but once in my 
own studies of the food of birds (in July, eaten by a catbird), 
and was not once recognized by Dr. Riley’s assistants in their 
studies of the contents of the stomachs of one hundred and 
two English sparrows which had eaten insects. 
REMEDIAL MEASURES. 
Until the life history of this species is better known, measures 
of prevention or of remedy can scarcely be intelligently discussed. 
The fact that its injuries to corn occur without apparent refer¬ 
ence to the crop of the previous year makes it unlikely that the 
favorite method of rotation will serve for the protection of corn 
against this species 
According to the scattered observations 
hitherto reported sweet corn seems to be much more liable to 
injury than the field varieties, from which fact we may surmise 
that the time of planting has something to do with the intensity 
of the attack. The vicinity of cucumbers, squashes, and other 
of the commoner food plants of the beetle may, however, account 
tor this seeming preference. 
DESCRIPTION. 
The following description of the stages of this insect is copied 
from Professor H. Garman’s article in “Psvche” (Yol. VI., pp. 
48, 49). 
Egg .—‘‘Matured ova from ovaries of females are much like those 
of D. Jongicornis. They are white, oval, with the surface retic¬ 
ulated and sculptured so as to produce numerous hexagonal, 
pitted areas. Prof. Forbes gives the dimensions of the egg of 
D. Jongicornis as .025 inch by .015 inch. Ova of the spotted 
species measure a trifle larger, being about .027 inch in length 
by .016 inch in diameter.” 
Larva (Plate XIV., Fig. 4 and 5.)—“Body cylindrical, taper¬ 
ing a trifle towards the extremities, composed of twelve seg¬ 
ments behind the head. Skin wrinkled, papillose along the sides, 
white, sometimes becoming yellowish just before pupation. Head 
dark brown, nearly black in some examples, with a few rather 
strong hairs arising from the surface; a narrow median longi¬ 
tudinal line of black above, and two pale lines which converge 
41 “Psyche.” Vol. VI. (1891), p. 47. 
