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the outside of the pod. These are about one-thirtieth of an inch 

 long, quite narrow, and yellow. The depositing is usually done at 

 night, but occasionally in cloudy weather. The young larva is of a 

 deep yellow color similar to the egg; it cuts directly through the pod 

 to the pea within, into which it penetrates and there takes up its 

 abode. It feeds upon the marrow or albuminous portion of the pea, 

 being careful not to eat the germ, probably, as has been suggested, 

 because it is distasteful to it ; and before entering upon the pupa 

 state gnaws a passage way to the surface, leaving only a thin hull as 

 a covering, by which the insect is enabled to escape. As a general 

 rule the perfect insect dees not leave the peas until the following 

 spring, and often until they are planted. 



Remedies and Preventives. — One obvious means of pre venting their 

 increase is to take care that the peas planted are free from the beetle, 

 and to this end those intended for this purpose should be carefully 

 examined. If they are infested there will appear a little spot over 

 the mouth of the burrow made for their egress ; if the covering is off 

 it is pretty good evidence the beetle has escaped. If thrown into 

 water the sound ones, as is well known, will generally sink, while 

 the unsound ones will swim. 



Enclosing the peas for a time in tight vessels with camphor, is 

 practiced by some as a method of killing the beetle. Throwing them 

 for a short time into hot water before planting, a method recom- 

 mended by Latreille, is sometimes adopted. A third, and probably 

 the most effective method, if universally practiced, would be that 

 originally suggested by Deane ; that is, to keep the peas intended for 

 planting over the second year, enclosed in some vessel from which the 

 beetles, when they leave the peas, cannot escape. By this method 

 the beetles in the peas so preserved must, as a matter of course, 

 perish ; but care should be taken to keep them in a dry situation. 

 As the beetle appears somewhat late in the season, late sown peas are 

 much less subject to their attacks than those sown early. 



Spec. char. Imago. — Head and front part of the thorax densely 

 covered with gray down ; eyes dark-brown or black ; the apical or en- 

 larged portion of the antennae dark-gray, with a short dusky stripe 

 on each side on the posterior portion, and a square denuded space be- 

 tween them next the hind border. Elytra finely striate, with alter- 

 nating spots and stripes of black and gray ; an oblique white stripe 

 on each wing case behind the middle. The exposed tip of the abdo- 

 men covered with white down, with two large black spots on the cen- 

 tral portion. Underside dark ash-brown. The notch on the under- 

 side of the hind thighs near the tip, very distinct. Length from 

 three to four-twentieths of an inch. 



This is the common pea weevil or "pea-bug." 



Bruchus obsoletus, Say. (B. fabae, Riley ) Bean Weevil. 



The general color is a brownish-gray, the ground color being dark, 

 but covered with a pale pubesence it gives the general color men- 

 tioned. This is much smaller than the pea-weevil, its length being 

 one-ninth or tenth of an inch. 



