CORN GROUND-BEETLE. 
43 
Where it is possible, a rotation of crop which would leave out 
Oats for a while in the badly-infested districts, would be the surest 
method of all to prevent continuance of attack. 
Corn Ground-beetle, (? Zabrus gibbus , Fab.) 
Zabrus gibbus. 
1, beetle ; 2, 3, grub, nat. size and magnified; 4, mouth of underground 
burrow of grub ; 5, chrysalis. 
The Zabrus gibbus, or gibbous “ Corn Ground-beetle,” does harm 
in both beetle and maggot-state. The beetle comes out at night, and, 
crawling up to the top of the corn-stems, eats the grain in the ears : 
the maggot feeds below ground, or near the surface on the young 
plant. Wheat, Rye, and Barley are recorded as being attacked on the 
Continent, but, although this species has been observed in various 
places in England, it was noted up to 1859 as not having been 
ascertained to have attacked the crops in England as it did on the 
Continent, and up to the past season I am not aware of it having done 
done so. Then,—that is, about the end of January,—a beetle-grub 
was found to be doing great mischief to young Wheat-plants, some¬ 
thing in the same way as wireworms, but variously described ; some¬ 
times the grubs were inside, sometimes they cut the plant through, 
and in one case I found the outer part frayed, as if chewed to pieces. 
Later on I had a note of the attacked Wheat appearing “ worned to 
death ,” not cut off absolutely, which agrees with the excellent descrip¬ 
tion by Dr. Taschenberg. 
The beetle-grubs sent resembled the descriptions of those of the 
Zabrus gibbus very minutely, but I could not identify them with 
certainty, for if so, they were not nearly full-sized nor fully coloured. 
Still, after consultation, it appeared so unlikely that the grubs were of 
any other kind, that it seems desirable to give as much information as 
I could obtain, for reference in case of continuation of the attack. 
The localities where most harm was done were in Hants, in the 
district of Lymington, and near Ryde, in the Isle of Wight. I had 
