THE RHYNCHOPHORA, OR WEEVILS. 185 



two or three rudimentary eyes on each side of the head. 

 Possessing no legs, they fix themselves to their support 

 with a viscous fluid secreted by a retractile process, 

 situate in the front part of the back of the last abdomi- 

 nal segment. When full grown they cover themselves 

 with a coarse network, composed of threads of the same 

 fluid, which hardens on exposure to the air. A cocoon 

 is thus formed (often found on water plants, etc., in wet 

 places, where some of the species are abundant), in which 

 the transformations of the insect take place. 



The little Limobii exactly resemble the members of 

 the preceding genus, except that their antennae have but 

 six joints to the funiculus; and it should be remarked 

 that many other genera are accompanied by similar 

 imperfect reproductions of their structure. 



The BYRSOPSID^E have a more or less distinct exca- 

 vation in the prosternum for the reception of the ros- 

 trum, the scrobes of which are linear and arched ; the 

 eyes large, depressed, entirely covered in repose by the 

 lobes of the prothorax, which are very prominent ; the 

 metasternum very short ; and the tarsi spinose, or hairy 

 beneath, never spongy. 



We possess but one genus and species, Gronops luna- 

 tus, in which the second joint of the antennae is very 

 elongate ; it is a small dull-white or grey insect, strongly 

 ribbed, with a narrow thorax, wiry legs, and a more or 

 less extensive dark lunated mark on each elytron. It 

 is not uncommon in sandy places on the coast, and near 

 London. The characteristic prothoracic canal is in this 

 insect of a very superficial nature. 



The OTIORHYNCHID^: have the basal joint of the an- 

 tenna? reaching beyond the back of the eyes, the funi- 

 culus with usually seven joints, and the rostral scrobes 



