BEETLES. 
17 
3. Abdomen: oval, jointed, brown. Spiracles 
small. 
4. Natural history: ( a ) Eggs laid on the ground 
among short grasses. ( b ) Eggs hatch very soon 
into small white grubs having brown heads. These 
at once burrow into soil and begin feeding on roots 
of grasses. ( c ) Larvae grow very slowly all summer 
and go down deeper on approach of winter. In spring 
they again come up near the surface and feed all 
the summer as the common white grubs found in 
spading and plowing. ( d ) In the second fall they 
form a round or oval cavity in soil and there spin 
their cocoons. ( e ) They become perfect beetles be¬ 
fore spring but remain in the ground until spring 
when they dig their way out and fly about. Their 
flight is noisy on account of the resistance of the 
air to their elytra. 
THE POTATO-BEETLE. 
The Colorado potato-beetle must not be confused 
with the old-fashioned “ potato-bug.” The latter 
is not a beetle at all, as will A B 
be seen at a glance. Its 
wings are very different. 
The potato-beetle is similar 
in structure and shape to 
the May-beetle or # “ June- 
bug,” but it is much smaller, 
and is very different in ap- Fl ^ ^ 
pearance. It is justly cele- 
- A , Elytron; B, Po¬ 
tato-beetle. 
