128 Forty-third Report on the State Museum. [32] 



with white scales between them. The end of the abdomen (pygidium) 

 has a whitish line along its middle and a large dark-brown spot on 

 each side thereof. 



It may be separated structurally from B. pisi from its belonging to 

 a group of seven described United States species, as indicated by 

 Dr. Horn in his " Revision of the Bruchidjae of the United States," in 

 which the hind thigh (femui-) is toothed on both the inner and outer 

 sides, while the B. pisi and B. ritjimanus group is characterized by a 

 femoral tooth on the outer side only. 



Its liiterature. 

 The original description of the species was by Fabricius in his 

 Entomologia Systematica, as above cited. A detailed description of it 

 may be found in Dr. Horn's Revision above cited, in the Transactions 

 of the American Entomological Society, iv, 1873, p. 317. It was 

 originally described as an European species, but with a number of 

 others of the Bruchidoe, it has been introduced through commerce 

 into the United States, and into most of the civilized countries of the 

 globe. At the Centennial Exhibition, at Philadelphia, it was discov- 

 ered by Drs. LeConte and Horn in beans received from Venezuela, 

 S. A., as appears in their " Report on Insects introduced by means of 

 the International Exhibition." 



Its Probable Life-history. 

 The life-history and habits of this pea- weevil would be about the 

 same as those of the common species, Bruchus pisi; its eggs, like that, 

 being deposited on the newly formed pod, and the young larvre when 

 hatched penetrating the pod and entering into the young peas, to 

 feed therein and to mature after the gathering of the crop. The pea- 

 bug does not deposit its eggs on rij)ened and dried peas in granaries, 

 nor could its larva penetrate their tough rind and burrow into the 

 hard, dry substance. The statement made by our correspondent is a 

 strange one, and we can not offer a satisfactory explanation of it. 

 The bugs should, in accordance with the habits of their kind, have 

 emerged from the peas in the spring of the year following the crop. 

 They often appear before the time of planting, but not always so if 

 kept in a cold place and planted early ; and therefore, if these were 

 the attendant conditions it might be expected that the three bushels 

 that were bagged would give no evidence, at the time, of their being 

 infested, particularly if such attack was not expected and no careful 

 examination of condition made. But that, passing their ordinary 

 time for emerging, they should make their escape and show them- 

 selves on the outside of the bag (of an " open texture " permitting their 



