— 16— 



walls are no protection from the cruel beak of the wood-pecker, and 

 hundreds of these larvae are dragged from their Winter-quarters to satisfy 

 the insatiable greed of these birds. 



The stems of the plant are not girdled by the larvie until the 

 former are quite dead, and hence, the plant is not materially affected, 

 and sections are not to be found scattered about on the ground much 

 before October. 



As a rule, concavus, and probably macer also, hibernate in the 

 larval stage, but the former, at least, sometimes live over in the adult 

 stage, as we have elsewhere shown to be true of another species of 

 Curctilionidce (Rep't Com. Agr. , 1886,), whose transformations are 

 cpiite similar in point of time. I have found adults of concavus, on 

 December 4th, and again in April of the following year, while in May 

 I. could find only larvae. I have found healthy larvae in stems dug out 

 of ice and frozen snow in January, and found them during the four 

 months following, but have never been able to ascertain the time re- 

 (juired in which to pass the pupae stage, or the exact season during which 

 this takes place, but opine that it will prove to be late m May and dur- 

 ing June. My examples of the pupae were from stems containing 

 larvae, kept in-doors. These transformed in January, and the pupae 

 ])eriod occupied only a few days. 



I have found larva; only in Helianihus and have repeatedly ob- 

 served the adults feeding upon the foliage. In a single instance I ob- 

 served a female ovipositing in Si/phium, or Rosin weed, and it is quite 

 probable that they may be found in the stems of other, similar plants, 

 besides Chcnopodiutn, as observed by Prof Riley. 



I have not studied the larvae of viacer enough to find a ready 

 distinction between them and concavus. They are usually more slender 

 and less wrinkled, but it is doubtful if this holds true in all classes. The 

 pupae are more slender, and the rostrum and anterior femora are much 

 longer, and these afi'ord a good basis of separation. 



The knowledge which I have obtained regarding the habits of both 

 these species, would indicate a closer relationship between the two, 

 than now^ accorded them, but much more remains to be learned of their 

 habits in other localities, and, especially where both are common, 

 if such a place can be found, before the question of relationship can be 

 satisfactorily settled : and it is with a hope of inciting such researches 

 that these notes are given. 



