25 
ber to each individual. A few were found early in October which 
had not yet deposited all their eggs, and they were seen copulating 
as late as September 25. From the above and from the dates given 
[for the first appearance of the beetles, we may conclude that 
opposition commences probably in August or September, and con¬ 
tinues into October, the bulk of the eggs apparently being laid about 
the middle or last of September. 
Doubtless a few scattering individuals of the early part of the 
brood deposit them before these dates, but their number is probably 
too small to have any special sign: aeance. That the eggs remain in the 
ground throughout the winter, is a foregone conclusion, as is also 
the fact that they do not hatch in spring until after the corn has 
commenced to grow. If the larvae emerged earlier, they would, of 
course, perish of starvation; and that the hatching is not postponed 
i long after the appearance of the corn, is proven by the early date 
at which the effect of their work upon the root makes itself'appa¬ 
rent to the farmer. 
With all these data before us, we can now make general state¬ 
ments which will stand the test of farther investigation. In the 
first place, it is evident that the beetle hibernates, not in the pupa 
stage, as has heretofore been surmised, nor yet as an adult beetle, 
but chiefly or solely in the egg. It is also fairly certain that pre¬ 
vious writers upon this subject have been mistaken in supposing 
1 that this species was two- or tliree-brooded. In order to exhibit more 
fclearly the fact that only a single brood appears during the season, 
a tabular summary of all the dates at which the insect was observed 
in its different stages, is given herewith. From this it will be seen 
that, larvae, pupae and perfect beetles were all to be found at any 
time from the middle or latter part of June to the 1st of Septem¬ 
ber, and that beetles occurred continuously throughout the remainder 
jof the season, no eggs being seen until the middle of October. On 
the other hand, larvae and pupae did not occur later than September 
1. As the first observations were made about a month after the 
appearance of the corn above ground, it is certain that there was 
not time for the development of an early brood: 
•June 10.... 
L 
Aug. 21_ 
L 
P 
I 
Oct 1 
I 
25.... 
I 
24.... 
L 
P 
3^ 
x 
.... 
28.... 
P 
25.... 
I 
I 
.... 
July 1.... 
I 
26.... 
L 
P 
I 
13 
I 
“ " " 
26.... 
L 
1 
28.... 
I 
14. 
I 
“ “ “ * 
A.ug. 1.... 
L 
I 
Sept. 4_ 
I 
18. 
I 
TT 
5.... 
P 
11.... 
I 
2<V 
x 
E 
7.... 
I 
16.... 
T 
Nov. 9. 
E 
17.... 
L 
P 
25.... 
I 
?E 
Dec. — 
I 
18.... 
1 
L 
P 
I 
.... 
27.... 
I 
Explanation— L, larvae; P, pupae; I, imagos or beetles; E, eggs. 
An iuspection of this table will show that a period of about two 
months is required to pass the entire brood through one of its trans- 
ormations. Since the adult beetles appeared last year as early as 
Tune 2-5, while pupae were seen in the ground as late as August 26, 
t is certain that changes from pupa to imago must have occurred 
hroughout this whole period, and the same reasoning will apply to 
/;he change from larya to pupa, and likewise to the hatching of the 
