Mr. W. Christy on the Tamarind Beetle. 37 



and habitation of the insect. Those stones in which I found them 

 exhibited no traces of puncture in the epidermis, while tliose which 

 appeared so were almost universally destitute of inhabitants, showing 

 that any external openings were caused by the departure of the in- 

 sect. It would be curious to ascertain in what manner the parent 

 insect deposits her eggs. If she attacks the fruit in an advanced 

 state, she must have to make her way through the external shell, the 

 intensely acid pulp, and the leathery envelope of the seeds, before 

 arriving at the stone itself. Can it be that she deposits them in the 

 fruit when very young, or in the gerraen when in flower ? But 

 these questions can only be answered by some one resident on the 

 spot, who can examine the fruit in its various stages of growth. 

 Perhaps some " Rusticus " in Jamaica or Barbadoes may at some 

 future time give us information on this subject. 



I have ventured to describe this insect as new, at the instigation of 

 the Rev. F.W. Hope, to whose valuable assistance I am much indebted. 

 It does not exist in the rich collection of that gentleman, nor can I find 

 any figure or description of it in any work. Its place in the genus 

 is evidently near C. Oryzce, as I am indebted to my friend Mr. Cur- 

 tis for pointing out to me on my first discovering this insect. 



From the variation in colour in this species, all, however, more or 

 less tending to black, I am inclined to agree with the opinion ex- 

 pressed by Mr. Hope, that in its mature state black is its proper 

 colour. 



All the specimens which have come under my notice appear to 

 have only recently undergone their last metamorphosis, and therefore 

 may be supposed to be paler in colour than when in a state of ma- 

 turity. With regard to its habitat, I desire to speak cautiously, but 

 I believe it to be the West Indies. I have been at some pains to 

 trace the history of the lot of tamarinds in v.'hich alone I have found 

 the insect, but without a certain result. There appears, however, 

 much reason to believe that they were brought from one of the West 

 India islands. 



I must apologise for offering to the Society so uninteresting and 

 meagre a detail ; but believing that any notice of a new insect 

 would be acceptable, I have ventured to present this paper. 



