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Journal of Agricidtiire , Victoria. [lo July, 191 2. 



to a greater or lesser degree as well as a number of garden plants. It 

 is, however, probable that on the whole the trees that suffer most from 

 its attack at the present time are Olives, Almonds, and Figs. 



Owing to its shyness and nocturnal habits this insect is particularly 

 hard to cope with. In many places its ravages were observed long before 

 the real cause of the trouble was discovered. Growers, being at a loss 

 to understand the cause of the damage done to their trees, attributed the 

 mischief, in some cases, to innocent, inoffensive insects that happened to 

 ■be present at the time. The gnawed and ragged edges of the leaves, 

 noticeable where it has attacked, are unfailing indications of the presence 

 'of a chewing or mandibulate pest. Nevertheless, its extreme shyness 

 in hastily dropping to the ground, its precipitate efforts at concealment, 

 and its cunning instinct in feigning death in the presence of danger, have 

 often robbed the grower of any suspicion that he may have had regarding 



FIG. 19. TERMINALS OF OLIVE SHOOTS ATTACKED BY CURCULIO BEETLE 



its destructive work, and he has allowed it \o go unharmed. This power 

 of simulating death, the natural colour of the adult insect, and its tend- 

 ency to seek a hiding place in the darkened interstices of the soil or among 

 decaying vegetable matter similar in colour to itself, have often aided it 

 in escaping detection. 



" The Curculio' Beetle" belongs to the great family {curculionida) or 

 weevils, which comprises some of the worst pests with which the horticul- 

 turist has to contend, such as the apple root borer {Le flops hofei) ; the 

 plum curculio (conotrachelus nemipJiar), etc. With seed of various 

 kinds, and trees and plants, both indigenous and exotic, the members of 

 this family have done incalculable damage, and are likely to continue 

 their destructive work for some time to come owing to the many difficulties 

 in the way of their suppression. 



The adult insect usually measures about 5-1 6th of an inch in length. 

 That is from the tip of the snout to the posterior end of the wing cases. 



