173 



The species is widely distributed in the eastern states and 

 occurs as far west and south as Nebraska, Indian Territory and 

 Mississippi. It was not differentiated from others, however, un- 

 til in 1908, when Chittenden described it as a new species. 



The beetle is almost black with a dusky gray aspect due to 

 short, whitish hairs which are scattered thinly over the body and 

 which form minute spots on the back. The length averages 

 about a third of an inch and the beak of the female is two-thirds 

 as long as the body, that of the male being half as long as the 

 body. 



I have found the newly developed beetles in the soil under 

 red oak trees on August 18th and 19th and have observed the 

 mature insects on the trees from August 28th to October 18th. 



The egg-puncture is made through the side 

 of the nut, either through the cup and shell or 

 through the shell alone. The beak being short, 

 the meat of the nut is penetrated only by a 

 shallow wound, and, frequently, when the bee- 

 tle bores through both cup and shell, the open- 

 ing extends only to the surface of the kernel. 

 The gallery is made to branch several times and 

 in the ends of from two to four of these branches eggs are placed. 

 The egg is very delicate, transparent white, elongate, pointed at 

 both ends and measures .03 inch long and .025 inch wide. The 

 larva is similar to the others in appearance and behavior. 



THE CONFUSED ACORN WEEVIL, Balaninus confusor Ham. 



During the four summers which I have observed this spe- 

 cies in an oak woods at French Creek it has always been very 

 abundant on chestnut oak when that variety was bearing. The 

 trees which it frequents are surrounded by four other kinds of 

 oaks but I have found it only once on any of the varieties ex- 

 cept chestnut oak. The one case was in 1906 when chestnut oak 

 acorns were very scarce. At that time a few beetles were found 

 ovipositing in white oak acorns. 



