COLEOPTERA. 69 



personal inspection. On arriving at the spot, I found the hark of the 



quicks badly eaten from the cut, half-way down to the soil. In vain 



I tried to persuade the farmer that it was insect and not rabbit 



damage ; but on lifting the small clods of 



soil, the insects were found in great numbers, 



and so beautifully did the soil blend with 



the colour of the insect that only a practised 



eye could detect them. As a remedy we 



sprinkled paraffin on the soil, but a sudden 



change of favourable wet weather following 



a prolonged drought perhaps had better 



effects than the paraffin dressing. 



The perfect beetle (fig. 69) is about 7 

 to 8 mm. in length, or from one - fourth 

 to one -third of an inch. The head and 



Fig. 69. — Otiorrliynchus picipes 



thorax are blackish in colour, and the (enlarged). (Piioto by a. 



r„ . T Flatters.) 



elytra bearing to brown. This blending 



of black and brown gives it the appearance of clay, hence the 



name. Under the microscope the body has a scaly appearance. 



The legs are ferruginous, and the clubbed 



antennae 12-jointed. 



The larvae live in the soil, and are whitish, 

 legless, and somewhat hairy. The pupte show 

 all parts of the perfect insect. 



i 



Otiorrhynchus sulcatus (Fabr.) „. .,„ ^.- , 



^ ' Fig. 70. —Otiorrhynchus 



siilcatiis {cine weevil), 



This beetle (fig. 70) is generally found in I^piattS') ^^''°*° ""^ 

 vineries, and is popularly known as the vine 

 weevil. I once found it in Cheshire eating the young leaves of 

 the common blackthorn. It is larger than the previous species, 

 and of a dull black colour, varied with ochreous-yellow scales on 

 elytra. 



Genus Strophosomus. 



This genus may be characterised by the eyes being extremely 

 prominent, appearing in some species as if almost detached from the 

 head. The head is also large and triangular. There are several 

 species in this genus, but only two, namely, S. coryU and S. capitatus 



