THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 137 



from four to eight seconds. Thirty-five was the highest number 

 of successive feints it was possible to produce in one individual. 

 After the thirty-fifth, they became only partial — that is, one or 

 two of the legs would stick out from the body as if fatigued. 



During every feint the insect was placed on its dorsum, as only 

 in this manner was a successful fe'nt produced. When the insect 

 was placed on its ventral side in almost evey case, the feint would 

 last only a second. On account of the shortness of the feint, it 

 was almost impossible to try the efi^ect of gases, etc. Upon sub- 

 jecting individuals feigning death to the fumes of carbon bisul- 

 phide and chloroform, they instantly became active. Upon placing 

 other feigning weevils upon blocks of ice, they slowly assumed the 

 death attitude, the femurs taking a position at right angles to the 

 body, with the tibiae and tarsa? loosely folded upon each other — all 

 tending somewhat to bunch together. Individuals starved to 

 death assumed a similar attitude. 



The death feigning attitude is quite unlike that of death. The 

 distal ends of the femurs of the first pair of legs extend forward, 

 being pressed against the base of the snout. The femurs of the 

 second pair of legs also extend forward, and are held close to the 

 body. The third pair assume a position similar to the second, 

 except that the distal ends point toward the posterior end of the 

 body. The femur, tibia and tarsus are in all cases folded upon 

 each other and drawn close to the body, while the antennae take a 

 position parallel to and close against the snout. The entire atti- 

 tude, however, does not seem to be as rigid as that assumed in the 

 death feint of the plum curculio, but is apparently easily and in- 

 stantly relaxed. 



The value of this brief death feint to the weevil is hardly ap- 

 parent. Probably on account of its somewhat concealed method 

 of feeding, it has little occasion to feign death, and as a result the 

 duration is correspondingly short. 



ERRATA. 



Page 2, line 31. — For narrower, read narrow. 



Page 3, line 12. — For Manse, read Manee. 



Page 7, line 23. — For cf , read cf 9 



Page 9, line 3. — For annidicomis, read anmdicornis. 



