INSECTS. 



20'i 



upon leaves, and still others upon the pith or even on the solid wood of 

 trees. Indeed, there are but few vegetable substances which are exempt 

 from their ravages. 



Among these forms the plum-weevil has attracted 

 considerable attention. It is a small species, scarcely a 

 sixth of an inch in length, which at times has seriou.-dv 

 affected the plum crop. This weevil bores a hole in the 

 green plum with her proboscis and deposits an egg in it ; 

 then she cuts a semicircle in the skin of the fruit around 

 the egg, the whole making a mark much like the crescent 

 and star of the Turkish flag, a fact which has won for 

 this little insect the name of 'the Turk.' The infested 

 plums soon fall to the ground, and there the beetle 

 undergoes the rest of its development. If hogs be 

 turned into the orchard, they will devour the infected 

 fruit as fast as it falls, and will thus reduce the damage 

 in the succeeding; year. 



The worms in chestnuts and hazel-nuts are the grubs 



of somewhat similar weevils, fig. 194. — Hazei-n«t 



, .. .,, , _. weevil {Balaninus nv- 



wnile still others artect acorns cum) ; below, a side 



view of the head. 



and hickory-nuts. Our cut 



shows one of these forms boring into the green 



hazel-nut to deposit its eggs, while below is a 



nut which has been 



punctured. 



The oil-beetles and 



blister-beetles, though 



not conspicuous forms. 



present many features 



of interest, especially 



in their development, 

 and some are remarkable among beetles from the 

 fact that they live a portion of their lives as 

 parasites. Our most abundant form is the dark 

 steel-blue oil-bottle, which is common during the 

 summer. Its life-history is unknown, but it seems ^ 

 probable that like some of its allies it passes part 

 of its life in the nests of bees. The name oil-bottle 

 is derived from the fact that the insect when dis- 

 turbed emits a disagreeable, oily fluid, which is stated to contain uric acid 

 An allied species from South America is remarkable for its peculiar proboscis 



Fig. 195. — Plum-weevil, or ' little 

 Turk ' : a is the larva ; b, the pupa ; 

 and c, the adult ; all enlarged. At 

 d is a young plum, showing the 

 weevil at work, and one of its cres- 

 cent-shaped marks ; natural size. 



Fig. 196. — Hazel-nut weevil, boring 



into the nut to deposit b 



