C U R A T E L 1; A C U II C U L I O N 1 D JE. 



of the genus; but it is not go any mure than the 

 others ; and it is not more crested than they are, only 

 its crest consists of feathers which are straight or 

 nearly so, and broad at the tips, while in most of the 

 other species those of the old birds are frizzled. 

 We may remark, en passant, that the use of the crest 

 to these birds seems to be to protect their eyes from 

 the beams of a nearly vertical sun, which otherwise 

 would prevent them from finding their food. The 

 upper part of this species is streaked with white and 

 reddish ; the breast, the belly, and the thighs are 

 bright russet-red, crossed by black bands ; and the 

 'rest of the under parts entirely russet; the bill is 

 whitish, and the feet reddish ash. These are the 

 colours of the young birds before they attain their 

 full size. The native birds are entirely black on the 

 upper part, with iridiscent reflections ; pure white on 

 the belly and under tail coverts ; but the colours are 

 subject to variation. The bill and feet are blackish, 

 the membrane of the bill and the naked space round 

 the eyes blackish yellow. The size is rather less 

 than the former species, though as domesticated there 

 are great differences. 



CIIA.X GLOBICERA Lumped Curassow. The dis- 

 tinguishing character of this species is, a round protu- 

 berant or nob on the upper mandible, immediately in 

 front of the membrane. The upper part, and indeed 

 the whole plumage with the exception of the belly, 

 the lower tail coverts, and the tips of the wing coverts, 

 all of which are pure white, is black, with various 

 reflections. The membrane at the base of the bill 

 yellow, the bill and feet black. The young have the 

 prominence on the upper mandible very small, and 

 streaked and mottled with black and white. 



Such are the leading species or varieties, as usually 

 noticed by naturalists ; but it is doubtful whether 

 these be any more than mere climatal varieties ; for 

 we believe that they all breed readily with each other ; 

 they are all nearly of the same size, and their manners 

 are exactly similar. 



CURATELLA (Linnaeus). So called because its 

 rough leaves are used in Guiana for polishing wood. 

 The genus belongs to Polyandria Digynia, and to the 

 natural order D'dleniacccE. Generic character : calyx 

 of four or five sepals, persisting, sepals roundish, 

 unequal ; petals rounded, hollow ; stamens inserted 

 in the receptacle : filaments like threads ; anthers 

 roundish, bursting inwardly. Style filiform ; stigmas 

 headed ; capsules two, of two valves, hairy, one-seeded ; 

 seeds oblong and naked. This plant is met with in 

 our stoves ; is grown in sandy loam, and propagated 

 by ripened cuttings. 



CURCULIGO (Gaertner). A genus of tropical 

 herbs, belonging to Hejcandria Monogynia, and to 

 the natural order Hypoxideec. Generic character : 

 flowers bundled, somewhat spiked, and bracteate. 

 Corollas with tube slender, to which the styles are 

 united, limb regularly six-parted, spreading ; stamens 

 fixed to the corolla ; filaments slender, erect ; anthers 

 oblongly linear ; style cylindrical ; stigma a three- 

 lobed head ; berry longish. These plants thrive in 

 loam and moor earth, and are increased by suckers, 

 which rise from the root. 



CURCULIONID.E (Leach). A very extensive 

 family of coleopterous insects, belonging to the section 

 Tetramsra, and sub-section Rhyncophora, being gene- 

 rally known by the English name of .weevils, and 

 corresponding, for the most part, with the Linnaean 

 genus Curcidio. The frontal elongation of the head 



into a snout, or rostrum, at once enables us to dis- 

 tinguish them from all other beetles. The Bruchidae. 

 it is true, have this part of the body produced in 

 front, but it is very short in these insects, and c;innot 

 indeed be called a rostrum ; moreover, the parts of 

 the mouth are very distinct in the Bruchida;, and 

 their antenna; are filiform, or thickened ; whereas, 

 in the weevils, the mouth is exceedingly minute, and 

 placed at the extremity of the rostrum, with the palpi 

 scarcely visible, and of a conical form. From some 

 of the wood-boring insects (Xylophagn, Bostrwlndce, 

 and especially Scolytus), the less cylindrical form of 

 the body, and the greater elongation of the rostrum, 

 will serve to distinguish the curculionidae. 



When we consider " what dire events from trifling 

 causes spring," and find the truth of this line con- 

 firmed in a thousand different ways by the agency of 

 the minute objects of the creation, we may perhaps 

 be not greatly surprised that the weevils (although 

 furnished with a mouth, the various organs of which 

 are so exceedingly minute, as to be apparently in- 

 capable of causing much detriment) are amongst the 

 greatest enemies to the vegetable stores of mankind 

 found amongst insects. Hence, there are no species 

 so interesting in their economy, and so well worthy 

 of being investigated in their different states, as some 

 of those under consideration, since it is evident that 

 it can only be by a positive acquaintance with the 

 various times and places in which these creatures 

 pass through their various states that we can ever 

 hope to arrive at certain remedies against their 

 attacks. We have already, in our article CALANDRA, 

 given an account of the ravages of one of the most 

 destructive insects in the family, viz., the corn weevil, 

 and shall not therefore, in the present instance, enter 

 further into the details of the habits of that particular 

 group. 



The great extent of this family, together with the 

 minuteness of many of the species, render it very 

 difficult to arrive at a knowledge of the various 

 individuals of which it is composed. In the former 

 respect, this group offers another curious instance of 

 the great increase in our knowledge of the insect 

 world, in addition to those which we have mentioned 

 in former articles. At the beginning of the present 

 century, Latrcille stated that the family contained 

 800 or 900 species; Dejean, in 1821, gave 1073; 

 and Scho3nherr, in 1833, 3544 ; since which many 

 others have been discovered ; so that, in twelve years, 

 the number of species has been more than tripled. 



The European species of this family are, for the 

 most part, of small size. Amongst these may be 

 mentioned the genus APION (which see) ; but the 

 Indian and Brazilian species not only acquire a very 

 considerable size, but are adorned with the most 

 splendid colours. The diamond beetle (Enlinms 

 imperialis) may be cited as the best known example. 

 This insect is of very common occurrence in the 

 country which it inhabits, and is brought to Europe 

 in great numbers ; but opticians and others, who 

 prize it for its splendid appearance, often demand 

 nigh prices for large specimens. We have observed, 

 that the most brilliant mode of examining this insect 

 is to hold it near a candle, the light being between 

 it and the eye, and then look at it with a lens of 

 about three or four inch focus, when the effect is 

 inconceivably rich and metallic. 



The insects of this family are found in all climes ; 

 but the same cause which induces an increase of size 



