310 BARON WALCKENAER ON THE 



Rhine ; and that R . Bacchus is seldom found there, according to 

 the observations of this clever entomologist. R. Betuleti first 

 appears in the perfect state on the surface of the leaves of the 

 vine in that country, towards the end of August. The larva 

 rolls up the leaf in order to conceal itself, and attacks the young 

 grapes, but not the buds, because these are out before it has 

 left the egg. 



Schranck, in his Fauna Bo'ica* has placed these two insects 

 in a genus of his own construction, which he has named Invol- 

 vulus ; but the ancient Involvulus being a Lepidopterous insect, 

 does not belong to Coleoptera at all : and I may here remark, 

 that this genus Involvulus of M. Schranck is not a well-formed 

 genus, and that it has not been adopted by any other naturalist. 

 Although it contains but few species, Schcenherr has separated 

 several from it, referring them to three separate genera, Apo- 

 clerus, Attelabus, and Rhynchites. 



Aldrovandus was perfectly well acquainted with R. Bacchus ; 

 and I am surprised that no naturalist has hitherto quoted this 

 venerable father of natural history, in Europe, in reference to 

 this diminutive but formidable insect. He places it amongst 

 the Cantharides, to which he devotes a whole chapter, thus 

 separating them from the Scarabcei, which occupy another 

 chapter. This is his account of this weevil : — " Nonus 

 numerus significat convolvulum 'iira Grwcis, Tagliadezzo vidgo 

 apud Italos agricolas, corpore cwndeo, pedibus obscure lutescen- 

 tibus, in vite repertum ac folia ejus depopidantem. Nascitur ex 

 ovis bombicum ovis similibus magnitudine colore rubicundis. Hie 

 cum parere vult multa cumulat, convolvitque folia (unde forte a 

 Latinis id nominis datum), at qui in his sua ova reponit." 



Thus the name Tagliadezzo, cutter, given by the vine-dressers 

 of Italy, its blue colour, the injuries it does to the leaves of the 

 vine, which it rolls up and lays its eggs in, all contribute to 

 prove the synonymy between our Rhynchites Betuleti or R. 

 Bacchus, and the ninth Cantharide of Aldrovandus. 1 But with 

 respect to the identity of this insect with the Ips of the Greeks, 

 and the Convolvulus of Roman authors, which Aldrovandus con- 

 siders he has proved, we shall, in continuation, show that his 

 opinion in this matter is erroneous. 



Schranck, Fauna Bo'ina, t. i. p. 474, No. 498. 

 Aldrovand. dc Anim. Insect, c. 4, 1638, in folio, p. 472. 



