BRUCHUS OBSOLETUS AND MONOHAMMUS CONKUSOR. 49 



that she gives, that " the beetles came to us from toward the mountains 

 in swarms, and yet on one side of a little narrow creek there are none, 

 while on the other [sandy] side, they are abundant; and the same in 

 many places where no creek intervenes between the sand and the clay." 

 Their apparent dislike to clay land was so noticeable, that Mrs. Chris- 

 man had thought of having some clay distributed over her rose-beds to 

 see if it would not act as a repellant. 



Increase of the Bean-weevil. 



Mr. Joseph Barker, of Marathon, Cortland county, N Y., states that 

 the bean-weevil, Briuhiis ohsoletus Say, is becoming quite troublesome in 

 his vicinity. It infests field-beans (the small yellow bean), and it is 

 thought that persons have been sickened by eating of the beans. Three 

 miles from Marathon, at Killoway Station on the Syracuse and Bing- 

 hamton Railroad, entire fields of beans are reported as having been 

 destroyed by the insect. 



This insect was first noticed about twenty-five years ago in the New 

 England States. It has since been of common occurrence in the State 

 of New York, has frequently shown itself in Pennsylvania, and occa- 

 sionally in localities in the Western States as far west as in Missouri. 



Although It is now known in various parts of the United States, it is 

 as yet confined to certain localities. Every effort should therefore be 

 made to prevent its general distribution. As some of the beetles do not 

 emerge from the beans until spring, they are liable to be planted with 

 the seed-beans, and the evil may thereby be continued and increased. 

 If the beans intended for seed be tightly tied up in stout paper bags and 

 be kept until the second year, there will then be no living beetles within 

 them, and they will be equally valuable for seed. If, however, they have 

 been badly perforated they should not be used for planting, as many of 

 them would not germinate. 



OviPOSiTiON OF Monohammus confusor {Kirby). 



Dr. Packard has remarked of this beetle — the long-horned pine borer, 

 that " it appears early in June and is to be found through the summer 

 until early in September; and at any time in July and August, as well 

 as the first week in September, it lays its eggs." 



It was my fortune a number of years ago (in 1857) to have an excel- 

 lent opportunity of observing the oviposition of this beetle. My record 

 made at the time, differs in some particulars from that given by Dr. 

 Packard — perhaps owing to the different conditions under which ovi- 

 position was made: 

 7 



