40 THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF 



our sleeves and console ourselves with the thought that, notwith- 

 standing the above truism, "wisdom is justified of her children." 

 Neither this nor any other of the true weevils mentioned in this pa- 

 per, can do harm when taken as iood in the larva state, but there 

 is good testimony that the hard-shell beetles are injurious when fed 

 in a ground or unground condition, along with the seeds they infest, 

 either to man or to other animals. 



The Pea-weevil which is here well illustrated, Figure 15, a show- 

 ing a back view, and 17, h a side view, the small outlines at the sides 

 showing the natural size, is easily distinguished from all other species 

 of the genus with which we are troubled, by its larger size, and by 

 having on the tip of the abdomen projecting from the wing-covers» 

 two dark oval spots which cause the remaining white portion to look 

 something like the letter T. It is about 0.18 — 0.20 inch long, and its 

 general color is rusty-black, with more or less white on the wing- 

 covers, and a distinct white spot on the hinder part of the tho- 

 rax near the scutel. There is a notch on each lateral edge of the 

 thorax, and a spine on the under side of the hind thighs near the 

 apex. The four basal joints of the antennas and the front and middle 

 shanks and feet are more or less tawny. It is supposed to be an in- 

 digenous N. A. insect, and was first noticed many years ago around 

 Philadelphia, from whence it has spread over most of the States where 

 the pea is cultivated. This supposition is probably the correct one 

 though we have no means at present of proving it to be so, and cer- 

 tain it is that, as the cultivated pea was introduced into this country, 

 our Pea-weevil must have originally fed on some other indigenous 

 plant of the Pulse family. It is at present found in the more southern 

 parts of Europe and in England, and is one of the few injurious insects 

 which have found their way there from this country ; but in accord- 

 ance with the facts given in my last Report, under the head of "Im- 

 ported Insects and Native American Insects," which clearly prove 

 that our native plants and insects do not become naturalized in the 

 Old World with anything like the facility with which those of the Old 

 World are every day being naturalized here, this Pea-weevil does not 

 begin to be as destructive there as it is at home. 



THE FEMALE DEPOSITS HER EGGS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE POD. 



It is a very general remark that peas are " stung by the bug," 

 and the impression prevails almost universally, not only among gard- 

 eners but with many entomologists, that the female weevil punctures 

 and deposits her eggs in the pea in which the larva is to be nour- 

 ished. It is a little singular that so many writers should have fallen 

 into this error, for it is not only the accepted view amongst writers 

 for the agricultural press, but has been adopted by many eminent 

 entomologists, Taschenberg, Harris, and Dr. Boisduval being about 

 the only authors who have rightly comprehended the true manner of 

 egg-depositing. All this comes of course from one man's palming off 



