280 REPOET OF THE COMMISSTONER OF AGEICULTURE. 



the field, and as we learn from the ^Yestfield Times of June 20, 1885, was 

 quite successful. The report of our Indiana agent, Mr. Webster, how- 

 ever, would indicate that this remedy does not accomplish all that is 

 claimed for it.* 



As soon as the life-history of the species has been made out wo may 

 be able to indicate some cheap and wholesale method of extermination, 

 but until then we shall have to rely upon such remedies as can be ap- 

 plied to the beetles themselves while at work. Here the difficulty arises, 

 that the beetles are abundant everywhere, and are constantly coming 

 to the strawberry patch. Hence a field treated one morning so that all 

 of the beetles are killed, may the next day be swarming with them again. 

 The kerosene emulsion may doubtless be used advantageously, while 

 pyrethrum (either mixed with flour in the proportion of 1 part to 15, and 

 dusted over the plants while the weevils are at work, or stirred with 

 cold water, at the rate of 200 grains, or 13.G grams, to the gallon, and 

 sprinkled on the vines) may also prove serviceable. 



As repellants, gas-lime and sawdust imi)regnated with carbolic acid, 

 well scattered tlirough the field, might prove of some benefit. 



CHARACTERS AND SYNONYMY. 



As already stated, this strawberry pest was referred by Mr. Glover 

 to Anthonomns sir/natus, Say, and a number of our own specimens agree 

 so closely with Say's original description of A. signafus, as well as with 

 Dr. Le Oonte's description,! that there can hardly bo any doubt about 

 the correctness of the determination. A number of other specimens, 

 however, which wo sent to Dr. Le Conte, were returned to us with the 

 determination ^'A.musciilus, Say," and trusting to Dr. Le Conte's author- 

 ity we have, in our correspondence, referred to this strawberry pest as 

 A. musculus, Say. In order tkat the reader may judge of the difficulty 

 in coming to a decision regarding the two supposed si)ecies we repeat 

 liere Say's descriptions : f 



A. viuscuhis. — Dull rnfons; scutcl and elytral spotted bands whitish. 



Inhabits United States. 



Curc\dio varians, Melsh. Catal. 



Bodj' more or less dull rufous or piceous, punctured ; head piccous; rostrum with 

 elevated lines ; antennto rufous ; club dusky ; thorax piceous, very much crowded 

 with punctures ; small recurved distant whitish hairs ; scutel oval white : elytra with 

 dilated impressed stri.'o of large punctures; rufous with edge piceous ; two or threo 

 undulated, macular, whitish bands of short hairs: beneath piceons; feet rufous. 



Length, including the rostrum, one-tenth of an inch. 



Var. a. Obscure piceous, almost black ; bands obvious. 



This varies considerably in its depth of coloring. 



A. signatus. — Body with numerous, prostrate, white hairs: rostrum longer than 

 the head and thorax, slightly arquated, linear, lineated ; scutel oval ; elytra san- 

 guineous, with punctured, impressed striae; region of the scutel to the middle of tlie 

 suture, and band of three large, unequal spots behind the middle, brown. 



Inhabits United States. 



Length less than one-tenth of an inch. 



I adopt the name proposed by Schonherr, in preference to that of sanguinipennis, 

 under which I described it. 



It will be seen from a comparison of these descriptions that the dif- 

 ferences given between the two species are merely those drawn from 

 coloration. 



Turning to Dr. Le Conte's tabular arrangement of the species of 

 Anthonomxis {Rhynchophora, &c., p. 195), we find that he distinguishes 



* See Bulletin No. 11, Division of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



tThe Rhynchophora of America north of Mexico, p. 199. 



t Complete -writings of Thomas Say, edited by Le Conte, i, p. 277 and p. 293. 



