INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE VINE. 309 



A third species of beetle, still more destructive than the two 

 of which we have just spoken, is the Eumolpus vitis, vulgarly 

 known by the name of Coupe-Bourgeon ; but this insect, of 

 which we shall presently treat more at length, is, like the two 

 preceding, of sober colours. 



Amongst all the beetles which are injurious to the vine, 

 there are, as we think, but two species which would be likely 

 to have been confounded by the ancients, as indeed they were 

 for a long time by the moderns, and which would appear by 

 their colours to answer the indications afforded by an examina- 

 tion of ancient passages in reference to the word Cantharis. 

 These two species are Rhynchites Betuleti, and R. Bacchus of 

 modern entomologists, the Attelahus mtis, or A, Bacchus, and 

 Attelabus Betuleti of their predecessors. These two species, 

 considered as one kind by vine-dressers, have obtained from 

 them in France, according to the various dialects or different 

 provinces, or even in different cantons of the same province, 

 the names — Becmare, Urhec, Urbere,' or Urbee,Diableau, Beche, 

 Lisette, Velours vert, Destraux, and probably others we have 

 not heard of. 



R. Betuleti ^ is of a brilliant glossy green, or of a violet-blue 

 colour equally glossy and brilliant. R. Bacchus^ is of a golden 

 purple, or of a golden green mixed with purple. 



These insects cut the stalks of the leaves, which causes them 

 to wither and become pliable, and more easy to roll up : this they 

 do with great skill, making a cavity in which they place their 

 eggs, and by this means do a great injury to the plants which 

 they attack. R. Bacchus'^ gives a preference to the leaves of the 

 vine and cherry ; R. Betuleti, to those of the white birch and 

 vine. In the neighbourhood of Paris, I have found R. Bacchus 

 most frequent on the vine ; but it was R. Betuleti that did so 

 much injury to the vines of Burgundy some fifteen years ago. 



M. Silbermann of Strasburgh tells me, that R. Betuleti is 

 the most injurious to the vines of Alsatia and the banks of the 



s Walckenaer, Faun. Paris, t. i. p. 235, Attelabus betulcs ; Schcenherr, Syno- 

 nymia Insector, t. i. p. 222 ; Panzer Faun. Insect. Germ. xx. No. 6. 



** Schcenherr, Gener. et Species Curculionidum, Rynchites Bacchus, t. i. p. 219, 

 No. 15; Latreille, Hist. Nat. des Inst. t. xi. p. 85, Attelabus Bacchus ; Panzer, 

 Faun. Ins. Germ. fasc. 20, No. 5 ; Charanson Cramoisi de Geoff. Attelabe cuivre 

 d' Olivier. 



' Kirby, Introd. to Entomology, t. i. p. 199, 

 NO. IV. VOL. IV. S S 



