‘‘ OBLONG LEAF WEEVIL.” 129 
These beetles are nearly allied to the Otiorhynchus weevils, and the 
figure under this head in my previous Reports and ‘ Manual’ will give 
_ some general idea of their structure; but they (the P. oblongus) are 
very small, only about the sixth of an inch or a little more in length, 
and more elongate or parallel-sided in shape. The head and thorax 
are usually black; the wing-cases variable in colour, pale dull red or 
brown, with the margins often black, or sometimes they may be 
entirely pale,—my own specimens, from Kent, have been with reddish 
wing-cases and black borders, also I have them with reddish brown, 
and yellower brown elytra, without borders; the head, thorax, and 
wing-cases are covered more or less with a rather long grey pube- 
scence; wings present. This grey down distinguishes it from the other 
Phyllobius weevils, which are for the most part beset with green 
scales. The antenne (horns) are twelve-jointed and elbowed, the 
club elongate-ovate ; the rostrum (or proboscis) shortish; eyes rather 
prominent; the legs yellowish or brown. 
When the downy coating has been rubbed off, the black skin of the 
head and fore body is very noticeable; and where bad attack is found 
going on in May from a little downy brown beetle, with more or less 
of black showing on head and fore body, an elongate narrowish shape, 
and pale legs, it may pretty surely be considered to be this species. 
On May 18th I was favoured with good specimens of these little wee- 
vil-beetles from a locality in Kent, with the following observations :— 
‘‘They infest my Apple and Pear trees; the piece of ground they 
are on has been neglected for years, and nothing at all done towards 
destroying insect life, so at present I have the ground and trees full of 
them. I washed all the trees this winter with strong caustic solution, 
and once this spring with soft-soap, quassia, and Paris-green, and now 
they swarm. I intend washing the Apples and Pears this week with 
a solution of soft-soap, seven pounds; paraffin, one quart; Paris- 
ereen, five ounces, to one hundred gallons of water, hoping to make a 
beginning of clearing them off.”’ : 
The specimens sent were very characteristic examples of this 
“ Oblong Weevil’’; the long coating of hairs, or pubescence, on the 
beetle was very noticeable, as was also the black border, which some- 
times occurs in this species, to the variably coloured wing-cases, which 
in this instance were reddish. 
On June 1st another application was sent me,* accompanied by 
specimens, which proved to be of the same kind of beetle, and the 
observation :—‘‘ I may say that they have done me very great damage 
* The applications were sent me by heads of well-known firms; but as it might 
not be agreeable to them to have their names mentioned in connection with a 
troublesome fruit tree infestation, I only mention that the localities were very far 
apart, one being in the south-west, the other in the south-east of England. 
K 
