114 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



us to distinguish it at once from our other fruit snout-beetles. I have had 

 the beetle in my cabinet for several years but knew nothing of its larval 

 history till a year ago last fall. It breeds veiy abundantly in our com- 

 rnon haws and I raised a number of them the present season from the 

 fruit of the Pear or Black Thoi^n {Cratcegus tof?ieniosa) obtained from 

 Mr. Walsh. 



[Figure 9.] 



Qiiince Curculio — (a) side view ; (b) back view. 



Though belonging to the same genus as our Plum Curculio, and hav- 

 ing very much the same form, as may be seen by referring to the figure, 

 (Figure 9), yet it difters remarkably in its habits from both of the pre- 

 ceeding weevils. It is, like them, an indigenous species and its original 

 fruit was evidently the wild Haw, which in the West it yet seems to pre- 

 fer to the cultivated fruits. But in the East it has become very injurious 

 to the Quince and, as we might naturally expect, also attacks the Pear, 

 and especially the Lawrence and other late varieties. In September 1868, 

 I received specimens from W, W. Swett of Hightstown, N. J., with the 

 statement that they were found on pears, and Dr. Trimble at a late meet- 

 ing of the New York Farmers' club (Oct. 22, '70) gave the following 

 account of its injuries in New Jersey the present year: 



" Yesterday five or six hundred were taken from tlie bottoms of two barrels of 

 quinces, although tliose quinces had only been gathered four days before. A friend 

 of mine has a quince orchard of 2S6 trees. These trees this season should average 

 seventy or eighty quinces to a tree, making more than twenty thousand. Upon a 

 most careful search I was unable to find one specimen perfect, or clear of one or 

 more blemishes caused by the punctures of this insect. Frequently four, five, or 

 six grubs will be found in a single quince. Mr. Goldsmith, the owner, keeps this 

 orchard in first-rate order; he has faithfully kept out the borers, so fatal to the 

 quince trees; has fertilized very freely, and the cultivation is perfect. He told me 

 yesterday, that his crop this year is thirty barrels, which will yield him about $125. 

 Had this insect let him alone he should have had at least 100 barrels, worth from $800 

 to $1,000. Many of his later pears, including the Seckel and Lawrence, have 

 suffered greatly, though not to the same extent as his quinces. A few days ago he 

 emptied a barrel of cullings, chiefly Lawrence pears, and in and near the bottom 

 of that barrel were found at least 400 of these grubs. A month ago I visited the 

 orchards attached to one of the best nurseries in Pennsylvania, and I found the 

 sad evidence of the presence of this enemy. Even the Seckel pears, though very 

 abundant, were almost worthless; later varieties still worse. Mr. Fuller tells me 

 that he has seen this season, in Western New-York, the same condition of fruit at 

 a well known nursery, even the Duchesse pears almost totally destroyed. This 

 fruit enemy seems yet confined to localities, but is spreading rapidly," 



This beetle was first very briefly described by Mr. Walsh in a note 

 in the Prairie Partner for July 18th, 1863, p. 37, from specimens found 



