Goo 
A further Note upon the Life-history of Dinoderus 
minutus, Fabr, 
THE BAMBOO-BEETLE OR “SHOT-BORER.” 
(Plate XX, figs. 8, 8a, 8d, and Plate XXI.) 
(See No. 2, p. 172 of these Notes.) 
In a previous number of these notes allusion was made to the 
fact that this minute beetle had been so often confused with its 
close ally D. pilifrons that it was impossible to make any definite 
statements upon the subject of its life-history. Since writing 
hose words the writer has been able, during nearly a year’s resi~ 
dence in Calcutta, to study with a certain degree of thoroughness 
the habits of this pest. Lengths of bamboo (Dendrocalamus 
strictus) cut in the forests of the United Provinces were kept 
under observation in specially constructed boxes between April 
and the middle of November,’and the operations of the beetles 
with which they had become infested closely watched. The first 
interesting and important fact discovered was that the bamboos 
boring beetle of Calcutta, or the chief one, was Dinoderus 
minutus. In no instance was D. pilifrons found in the bamboos, 
During my observations I examined thousands of the beetles, 
but minutus was the only one present. This would seem to 
point to the fact that whilst p7//frons attacks the bamboo in 
Upper India minutus takes its place in Calcutta—or, perhaps, it 
may be said in the hotter, damper parts of the country. A second 
most important fact is that in no instance have these two beetles 
been found working together, and the statements extant to this 
effect would seem to be the result of defective identification. 
In addition to the observations made upon the life-history and 
habits of this insect in Calcutta experiments were also conducted, 
with the object of ascertaining whether it was possible to protect 
bamboos by impregnating them with various substances. The 
results attained will be alluded to later on. 
