240 HALF HOURS WITH LN'SECTS. [Packard. 



Another borer is the Brenthian weevil (Eupsalis miniita, 

 Fig. 182). By means of its long snout, armed with short, 

 stout jaws at the end, it bores a hole through the bark, in- 

 serts an egg, and the grub hatching out bores into the solid 

 wood, finally making a burrow about a tenth of an inch in 

 diameter. 



Mr. Riley has described and figured, in his "Sixth Report 

 on the Noxious Insects of Missouri," the transformations of 

 this interesting beetle. He draws attention to the combative 

 nature of the males in the following words. "The males of 

 the Brenthians are known to fight desperately for the female, 

 and, as it has been remarked by Mr. A. R. Wallace,* it is 

 interesting, ' as bearing on the question of sexual selection, 

 F G 182 ^^^^ ^^^ ^^'^ case, as in the stag beetles, when 

 the males fight together, they should not only be 

 better armed, but also much larger than the 

 females.' The eggs are deposited during the 

 months of May and June, and perhaps later, 

 the female boring a cylindrical hole with her 

 slender snout, and therewith pushing her egg to 

 Eupsalis. ^j^g bottom of the hole, as is the habit of all snout 

 beetles. Mr. Howard thus describes his own observations 

 on these insects. 'It requires about a day to make a punc- 

 ture and deposit the egg. During the time the puncture is 

 being made, the male stands guard, occasionally assisting 

 the female in extracting her beak ; this he does by stationing 

 himself at a right angle with her body, and by pressing his 

 heavy prosternum against the tip of her abdomen ; her stout 

 forelegs serving as a fulcrum, and long body as a lever. 

 When the beak is extracted, the female uses her antennae 

 for freeing the pinchers or jaws of bits of wood or dust, the 

 antennae being fui'nished with stitf hairs, and forming an 

 excellent brush. Should a strange male approach, a heavy 

 contest at once ensues, and continues until one or the other 

 *The Malay Archipelago, p. 482. 



16 



