STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 97 



all, until they have lived through one winter; or, in other words, where 

 one female will pair and deposit a few eggs the same summer she was 

 bred, ninety-nine will live on for nearly ten months and not deposit till 

 the following spring. In more northern latitudes I doubt if any 

 exceptions to the rule will be found. 



As to the other mooted point, namely, whether this insect ever hiber- 

 nates under ground in the lar\'a state, I am perfectly satisfied that it never 

 does, but that it passes the winter invariably as a beetle under all sorts of 

 shelter in the woods; generally however, near the surface of the ground. 

 Indeed it often makes for itself a hole in the ground, seldom however 

 deeper than its own body. In short, there is very little to alter or modify 

 in the established facts in its natural history which I gave you last year. 

 The egg instead of being " oval " as there stated, would be better de- 

 scribed as " oblong-oval," measuring exactly 0.03 inch in length and 

 being nearly three times as long as wide. It should also be remarked here 

 that when depositing her eggs in apples the female often neglects the 

 usual symbol of Mohammedanism which she so invariably inscribes on 

 stone fruit; and that where this mark is made on apples, it more easily 

 becomes obliterated. 



During their beetle life these insects feed continually just as long as 

 the weather is mild enough to make them active. While fruit lasts they 

 gouge holes in it, and after peaches have gone, apples are badly attacked. 

 They also gnaw large holes in the leaves, and when nothing else pre- 

 sents, will feed on the bark of the tender twigs. 



Let us be thankful, therefore, tliat there can no longer reasonably be 

 difference of opinion, or discussion on these questions which, though 

 of no very great practical importance were yet of great interest to us all. 



IT IS NOCTURNAL RATHER THAN DIURNAL. 



Before leaving this little Turk however, I have some other facts to 

 mention which were first brought to light the present year, and which 

 have a most important practical bearing. You have been repeatedly told 

 and you no doubt have all come to believe it, that curculios fly only 

 during the heat of the day, and that it is useless to endeavor to catch 

 them after, say, ten o'clock in the morning. Well, gentlemen what I am 

 about to utter will no doubt astonish you, but I know whereof I speak. 

 2^/ie Curculio is a nociurfial rather than a diur?ial msect ; is far more 

 active at night than at day^ and Jlics readily at nighty into the bargain. 

 If anyone doubts this assertion, let him go into his peach or plum orchard 

 at midnight with a lantern and sheet, and he will catch more than he 

 could during the day, and will also find, to his sorrow, that they are then 

 much more nimble and much bolder — scarcely feigning death at all. In- 

 deed, with the exception of such females as are busily occupied in depos- 

 iting eggs, most of the Curculios rest during the day, sheltered either by 

 the foliage or branches of the tree, or by any extraneous substance on 

 the ground near by. They are also more active in the evening than in 

 the morning, and these facts lead us to the important question, whether 

 the morning or the evening is the best time to jar the trees. My experi- 

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