159 
Coleopterous Genus Upis. 
in which the fruit is pierced, and whether this be done by the parent 
insect or not was entirely conjectural, no distinct fact was adduced 
beyond that of the actual piercing of the fruit, as indicated by a 
small cicatrix. 
A more direct observation is, however, made by Messrs. Kirby 
and Spence relative to the Rhynchites Bacchus (upon the authority 
of Trost, Kleiner Beytrage, 58), which is said to bore with its ros- 
trum through the half-grown fruit of the cherry into the soft stone, 
and there deposits an egg. The peach of North America is said 
to be similarly attacked by a weevil, and the proceedings of the 
nut weevil are asserted to be also similar. This proceeding, which 
at first sight appears altogether so unnatural, when we reflect upon 
the beautiful construction of the ovipositor of insects, has been 
fully confirmed by Kollar and Schmidberger. In endeavouring, 
moreover, to discover the mode in which the entrance of the insect 
into the fruit is effected, I consider that much more notice than 
has hitherto been given should be paid to the nature of the fruits 
attacked, namely, whether it be a soft fleshy fruit, defended only 
by a thin rind, or a nut-like fruit, encased in a hard shell. Thus, 
for instance, in the case of the nut weevil, it is evident from the 
great voracity of newly hatched larvae, that if we adopt Reaumur’s 
opinion, that it is the newly hatched grub which makes its way 
through the still tender shell of the nut, it w'ould follow that the 
supply of food would be very quickly consumed ; but if we con- 
sider that it is the parent insect which with her ovipositor deposits 
the egg in the substance of the nut, but which does not 
hatch for some time afterwards, we shall be able to account for 
the fact, that the kernel of the nut is sometimes not half consumed. 
Again, in the apple grubs, we find the pips in the centre of the 
apple are first devoured ; they are in fact the genuine food of the 
newly hatched larvae ; but how came the larvae into the centre of 
the apple ? the moth not having an ovipositor of sufficient length to 
reach the core. But also here if we consider that it is the parent in- 
sect which with her ovipositor deposits the egg in the substance 
of the apple whilst very tender and young, and that the eggs are 
not hatched until the apple has attained a considerable size, we 
shall be enabled without difficulty to arrive at a solution of our 
question. But, it will be asked, can the egg be carried along with 
the development of the apple, and be found at a later period in the 
centre of the fruit, perhaps an inch and a half distant from the 
spot where it was actually deposited ? I see no difficulty in this 
question ; as the eggs of the gall-flies are carried forward with 
the development of the gall to an equal distance. And thus we 
