THE CURCULIO. 33 



PLATE VI. 



I. Curculio, natural size. 



z. Curculio, with wings expanded. 



3. Portion of earth, July 1 6, with the cells made by the grubs of the Curculio, in which they are under- 



going their transformations. 



4, 5. Front and back views of the pupa of the Curculio, July 16, greatly enlarged. 



6. The Curculio more enlarged, almost matured, and just ready to emerge from the ground. It is now 



of a reddish color. 



7. The Curculio still more enlarged, with the wings, legs, proboscis, and antennz expanded. 



8. Shows the proboscis, antennas, and lenses of the eye. 



9. Pea-Bug, twice the natural size. 



10. A species of Curculio often seen in September and October. This was figured from a specimen taken 

 from the stomach of a Toad. 



THE most systematic treatise on American Entomology is that of Thomas Say. 

 It is purely scientific, and to those who study insects as a science such works as this 

 become a necessity. But little progress can be made in a field of investigation so 

 immense without systematic classification. Entomologists will speak of Orders, 

 Classes, Families, Genera, and Species, as ornithologists and botanists do. The 

 structure of a science would be a Babel were it not for such a fixed language. 



The following is Say's account of the Curculio. I give it in the exact words, as 

 taken from page 285, vol. i. New York edition of 1 859. 



" 7. C. ARGULA Fabr. (Rhynchsenus) Syst. Eleut. 



" Curculio nenuphar Herbst. Natursyst. 



" R. cerasi Peck, Jour. Mass. Agr. Soc., Jany. 1819. 



" This also varies much in size, and depredates on the plumb and peach and 

 other stone fruits. My kinsman, the late excellent Wm. Bartram, informed me that 

 it also destroys the European Walnut in this country." 



This conveys but a vague idea to the farmer or fruit-grower who has paid no 



