470 



up a tickling" movement on the edges of the elytra and abdomen 

 of the female, which responds with occasional slow kicking 

 movements of her hind legs against the sternum of the male, 

 which tends to dislodge him from his position. 



The eggs of Bruclius pruininus are of a type common 

 among Bruchid eggs broadly ovate and flattened by the glue- 

 like substance which cements them to the seed, entirely cover- 

 ing the egg and affording after hardening a strong support 

 from which the first-stage larva works in penetrating the 

 tough seedcoat. As will be seen in a later discussion the 

 female exercises but little discrimination in oviposition with 

 regard to the fitness of the seed for larval food. Several eggs 

 may be laid upon a single seed but the seed of Leiicaena can 

 supply nourishment for only about three larvae. A single 

 larva can develop in an indigo or sesban seed, while in cap- 

 tivity several large individuals can be bred from a single 1;er- 

 nel of a peanut. 



None of the plants in which Bruclius 'priiininus breeds in 

 the Islands is of any particular economic value at present and 

 all are so free-seeding that it plays very little part in checking 

 their spread. Whether it will continue to breed in stored 

 seeds indefinitely remains to be seen. It is easy enough 

 by securing unopened pods to keep seed free from infestation. 



It is impossible to say with any certainty when Bruclius 

 pi-uininus made its way into the Islands but the method of its 

 coming is indicated by some notes accompanying some speci- 

 mens of the species contained in the entomological collections 

 of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station. They were 

 taken by Mr. Van Dine from a package of seeds of Acacia 

 mollissima purchased from the Cox Seed Company, San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal., in 1904. This note by Van Dine under the head 

 of Insect Enemies of the black wattle (Acacia d-ecarrens) ap- 

 pears to refer to this insect, "An undescribed species of weevil 

 {Bruchus) was taken from seeds purchased in San Francisco. 

 It was presumably introduced into California from Australia 

 or South Africa." There can be little doubt, however, of its 



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