58 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



The Attelabians (Attelabid^e) are distinguished from the 

 Bruchians by the form and greater length of the head, which is a 

 Httle inchned, and ends with a snout, sometimes short and thick, 

 and sometimes long, slender, and curved. The eyes also are 

 round and entire ; and the antennae are usually implanted near the 

 middle of the snout. The larvae resemble those of most of the 

 snout-beetles, being short, thick, whitish grubs, with horny heads, 

 the rings of the body very much hunched, and deprived of legs, 

 the place of which is supplied by fleshy warts along the under-side 

 of the body. Some of the European insects of this family are 

 known to be very injurious to the leaves, fruits, and seeds of 

 plants. 



The different kinds of Attelabus are said to roll up the edges 

 of leaves, thereby forming little nests, of the shape and size of 

 thimbles, to contain their eggs, and to shelter their young, which 

 afterwards devour the leaves. The larvae and habits of our native 

 species are unknown to me. The most common one here is the 

 Attelabus analis of Weber, or the red-tailed Attelabus. It is one 

 quarter of an inch long from the tip of the thick snout to the end 

 of the body. The head, which is nearly cylindrical, the antennae, 

 legs, and middle of the breast are deep blue-black ; the thorax, 

 wing-covers, and abdomen are dull red ; the wing-covers taken 

 together, are nearly square, and are punctured in rows. This 

 beetle is found on the leaves of oak-trees in June and July. 



The two-spotted Aiiehhus, Attelabus bipustulatus of Fabricius, 

 is also found on oak-leaves during the same season as the preced- 

 ing. It is of a deep blue-black color, with a square dull red spot 

 on the shoulders of each wing-cover. It measures rather more 

 than one eighth of an inch in length. 



Two or three beetles of this family are very hurtful to the vine, 

 in Europe, by nibbling the midrib of the leaves, so that the latter 

 may be rolled up to form a retreat for their young. They also 

 puncture the buds and the tender fruit of this and of other plants. 

 In consequence of the damage, caused by them and by their 

 larvae, whole vineyards are sometimes stripped of their leaves, and 

 fruit-trees are despoiled of their foliage and fruits. These insects 

 belong to the genus Rhynchites, a name given to them in allusion 

 to their snouts. I have not seen any of them on vines or fruit- 



