130 



Their feet are clothed on the underside with a dense brush of stiff, 

 short hair, and the next to the last joint is distinctly divided into 

 two lobes. Usually the antennae are bent or elbowed, the first joint 

 being much longer than the others and forming an angle with 

 them. 



The larva? are soft, white grubs, destitute of feet, with minute head, 

 and usually lying in a curved position. They usually reside in the 

 fruits, seeds or nuts of plants, or in galls formed on the stems or roots, 

 yet there is no part of the plant which is wholly exempt from their 

 attacks. 



When the female is about to deposit her eggs she first makes a 

 puncture with her snout. 



The family has been divided into two sections, which are distin- 

 guished from each other chiefly by the character of the snout and 

 position of the antenna?. 



Section 1. — Brevirostes — (Short snouts.) 



Snout short and broad, seldom much longer than the head, the fur- 

 rows on the sides of the head for the reception of the antennae ex- 

 tending to the tip of the snout ; antennae inserted at or near the tip 

 of the snout. 



Section 2. — Longirostes — (Long-snouts.) 



Snout usually much longer than the head, narrow and cylindrical; 

 furrows rarely reaching to the tip; antennae usually inserted at a 

 greater or less distance from the end, generally near the middle and 

 sometimes at the base. 



BREVIROSTRES— (Short-snouts.) 



Itiiycerus noveboracensis — Forst. (New York Weevil.) 



This species is one of the largest weevil found in our 

 State, being rather more than half and sometimes 

 five-eighths of an inch long, including the snout. 

 The insect is short and slightly widened at the 

 tip; the antennas are straight, not elbowed, as is 

 usual in the family; the thorax is much narrower 

 than the wing cases, and cylindrical. The general 

 color is a dark; ash-gray, with faint, whitish lines; 

 on the wing cases there are numerous raised sharp 

 a, black points. 



In the perfect state it occasionally troubles the 

 horticulturist, killing the twigs by gnawing off 

 the tender bark in the early part of the season 

 before the buds have put forth, and, as stated by 

 Prof. Riley, later in the year it destroys the ten- 

 der shoots which start out from the old wood by 

 entirely devouring them. It eats the buds and 

 frequently gnaws off the leaves after they have 

 a Viit'i'i'V'ir'iu expanded. It appears to prefer the apple, but 



Sttug S he?e f gSfi! f iKi also attacks the peach, plum, pear and cherry in 



c, beetle. ' the same way. 



Ithyceeus noneborai en 

 sis. Porster 



