1920] lierrick: Hibernation of Insects . 105 



says ' ' the reported outbreaks of the larvae in spring have almost 

 always been suppressed by the virulent disease just described 

 (Empusa). This disease prevents the summer damage by the 

 beetles, often killing the larvae before they have done much 

 injury." 



Perhaps the most striking feature regarding the weevil was 

 the number of adults that came through the winter in an 

 apparently active condition capable of procreating the species. 

 It is generally supposed that the weevils, although they may 

 survive the winter, are not capable of any activity in the spring. 

 Indeed all that I have ever found hitherto in the spring have 

 been more or less covered with dried mud and were weak and 

 apparently incapable of effectual activity. On this point Fol- 

 som^ says: "I have rarely found the beetles in the early spring, 

 and such as were found were either dead or in the last stages of 

 decrepitude, and evidently incapable of doing anything toward 

 the propagation of their kind." 



My attention was first called to these adults by Mr. J. D. 

 Detwiler, who was in the field searching for species of some 

 lesser clover weevils on which he is now working. On March 26 

 he brought in three adult weevils which were fresh and clean of 

 dirt and active in movement. On succeeding days we were able 

 to find more adults in similar condition. It seems probable that 

 the weevils were similarly abundant and active in the spring in 

 clover fields throughout the State. These beetles were placed in 

 a cage until other beetles were collected in the next few days and 

 on April 5 cages were made ready and the beetles placed in 

 them. The weevils were furnished with fresh clover plants and 

 pieces of old clover stems to proyide hiding places for possible 

 eggs. On April 7 I found seven fresh eggs in a hollow clover 

 stem. In another cage, also on April 7, I found one egg on the 

 stipule of a leaf. All of these eggs were removed and placed in 

 shallow tin boxes but owing to dryness, I think, every one of 

 them shriveled and failed to hatch. 



On April 19 a group of nine or ten fresh eggs was found again 

 in one of the cages. Again they were deposited in an old hollow 

 stem of clover. These eggs hatched on May 6 or 7. I am not 

 sure which, because at my last examination on May 5 they had 

 not hatched and owing to my absence I did not see them again 

 until the morning of the 8th, when all had hatched. From 

 these eggs I isolated several larvae, placing each in a shell vial 



