162 INSECTS AT nOME. 



however, be always explained. For the future, therefore, I 

 shall employ the English word beak instead of the Latin 

 rostrum, and the word elbowed in preference to the Sanscrito- 

 Grseco-Latinised-Anglified word geniculated. 



According to the system which is at present in vogue, the 

 Weevils are divided into two section* — namely, those in which 

 the antennae are not tlbowe'', and those in which they are. 

 The former are called Orthoceri, or ' straight-horned,' and the 

 latter Gona^cccri, or ' knee-horned.' We begin with the former, 

 and take f*^* our first example of these Beetles the Eed-footed 

 Weevil {Bruchns rujinianv.s). which is drawn on Woodcut 

 XVI. Fig. <.. its antennje being shown at /. This insect be- 

 longs to the family Bruchidae, which have antennae rather 

 serrated, and becoming gradually thicker towards the apex. 

 The elytra do not reach to the end of the abdomen, and the 

 basal joint of the tarsus is long and curved. In the genus 

 Bruchus the antennae are rather delicate, and the elytra are 

 oblong and squared. 



The Eed-footed Weevil is rather variable both in size and 

 colour, but is usually as follows : — The general hue is black. 

 Upon the thorax, which has its edges slightly waved, there are 

 two white spots \inon the disc, and a large triangular spot 

 about the middle of the base, some ashy-white hairs being 

 scattered on the disc. The elytron is striated and punctured, 

 and has a number of white spots scattered over it, and a 

 whitish-grey streak near the scutellum. The tip of the abdo- 

 men is white, •s^'ith the exception of two dun-coloured spots. 



All the species of this genus are exceedingly destructive, 

 feeding upon the seeds of beans, peas, and similar vegetables, 

 very often doing enormous damage by dint of numbers, in 

 spite of their small individual size. The reader may perhaps 

 have had occasion to notice that, when peas are newly shelled, 

 one freqviently occui'S in which a hole or a groove is scooped, 

 and which is tenanted by a little white maggot. These 

 maggots are almost always the larvae of this or some allied 

 species of Weevil. One of these larvae is shown, much mag- 

 nified, on Woodcut XVI. Fig. c. They remain in tl)e seeds 

 imtil they have attained their perfect condition, when they 

 escape tlirouoh a round hole made for the purpose while in 

 the larval state. Eight species are acknowledged to be in- 



