BRO 



[ 153] 



BRU 



B.latifo'lia (broad-leaved) . 6. Scarlet. Trini- 

 dad. 1824. 



racemo'sa (clustered). 6. Rose. Caraccas. 



1826. 



ro' sea (rosy). 8. Crimson. July. Trini- 



dad. 1828. 



BROWNLOW'IA. (Named after Lady 

 Brownlow. Nat. ord., Lindenblooms [Ti- 

 liaeece]. Linn., \3-Polyandria, l-Mono- 

 gynia. Allied to Grewia). Stove tree. 

 Cuttings of ripe shoots in heat; rich 

 loamy soil. Summer temp., 60 to 75 ; 

 winter, 48 to 55. 



B. ela'ta (tall). 60. Yellow. East Indies. 

 1820. 



BROWN-TAILED MOTH. Porthesia. 



BRU'CEA. (Named after Bruce, the 

 African traveller. Nat. ord., Quassiads 

 [Simarubaceae]. Linn., 22-Dicecia, 4- 

 Tctrandria). This genus possesses that 

 intense hitter, for which quassia, the head 

 of this small order, has long been cele- 

 brated. Stove evergreen shrubs. Ripen- 

 ed cuttings in sand, under a glass, in 

 bottom heat. Summer temp., 60 to 75 ; 

 winter, 55. 



J3. ferruqi' nca (rusty ash-leaved], 6. Green. 

 April. Abyssinia. 1775. 



gra'cilis (slender). 6. Yellow green. East 



Indies. 1820. 



sumatra'na (Sumatra). 6. Green. May. 



East Indies. 1820. 



BRU'CHUS. A genus of small beetles 

 which confine their depredations chiefly 

 to the seeds of leguminous plants. 



Bruchus granarius. The Grain Beetle. 

 Every one who is acquainted with the 

 seeds of the pea and the bean must have 

 noticed that in many of them were small 



round holes, and these occasionally are so 

 numerous as to spoil the sample, and, in- 

 deed, render the seeds totally valueless for 

 sowing ; for not one of those thus pierced 



but would produce either a weak un- 

 healthy plant or not vegetate at all. 

 Those holes in the " worm-eaten " peas 

 and beans are made by a small beetle 

 (Bruchus granarius) produced from a 

 grub or caterpillar which has eaten away 

 the vital parts of the seed ; and when it 

 has passed through the chrysalis state, 

 and given birth to this beetle, the latter 

 makes the hole in order to escape into 

 the open air, there to perpetrate more 

 mischief upon the growing crops. The 

 body of the beetle is a dull brown, but 

 the elytrse, or wing covers, are black, 

 dotted with white, but scarcely percepti- 

 bly so, unless magnified, as in our draw- 

 ing. Naturally it is the size of the 

 smaller figure; that is, scarcely two lines 

 long. The antennae, or feelers, are 

 eleven- jointed, black, and thinnest near 

 the head, where they are also tinged 

 with red. The head droops, the eyes are 

 prominent, the fore-legs are rusty-col- 

 oured. This little beetle may be found 

 upon various flowers during seven montha 

 of the year. In February it may be 

 found on the furze blossom, in June 

 upon the white-thorn, and in July and 

 August upon the spiraea and rhubarb 

 flowers. The female pierces through the 

 pod of the pea and bean whilst very 

 young, and often deposits an egg in each 

 seed. Probably, the best mode of de- 

 stroying this insect would be to subject 

 the seed, as soon as harvested, for some 

 hours, until thoroughly heated, to a 



temperature of 150. This, we think, 

 would kill the grubs without injuring 

 the seed. 



