475 



diate vicinity of a buildiug in which the adults were emerging 

 in large numbers from the stored pigeon peas and cowpeas but 

 only B. chinensis emerged from the peas. In ISTorth America it 

 readily attacks its hosts in the field but in India this tendency 

 to limit its attacks to stored seeds has been noted. 



The species is recorded as breeding in cowpeas and peas. 

 I have bred it experimentally from Phaseolus lunatus, P. artic- 

 ulatus, P. aureuSy P. acutifolius, Vigna chinensis, Vigna lutea, 

 Cajanus indicus, Dolichos lahlab, D. sudanensis. Glycine hispi- 

 da, Cicer anetinum, Vicia faha, and Pisum sativum. 



It requires from 40 to 50 days to complete its transforma- 

 tions during the winter season in Honolulu. Mating and 

 oviposition take place shortly after emergence from the seed. 



Bruclnis prosopis. 



This species was originally described from the Colorado 

 Desert of California but is now known also from South Amer- 

 ica and may well have reached us from there. In California, 

 Arizona and Texas it is known to breed in the seeds of Pro- 

 sopis glandulosa and velutina, mesquite, and P. puhescens,- the 

 screw bean. It has been known for many years in Hawaii as 

 a serious enemy of the algaroba or kiawe, Prosopis juliflora. 

 Mr. FuUaway records breeding it from pigeon peas, but this 

 has not come under my observation. 



Adults of Bruchiis prosopis confined in tubes feed readily 

 on sugar and water and upon the syrupy fluid in the pods of its 

 host-plant, but I was for a long time unable to secure normal 

 oviposition. Several scattered eggs were seen which later 

 disappeared, laid at random without cement to attach them. 

 One was placed in a crevice in the hilum of a velvet bean and 

 another under a flap of the cuticle on a Prosopis pod. The 

 habits of the closely related bean bruchus suggested that it 

 might perhaps oviposit in crevices, but the account given by 

 Mr. Fullaway in the Hawaii Ag. Exp. Sta. Kept, for 1912 had 

 led me to expect an egg cemented to the surface of the pod. 

 However, failing to secure such oviposition and failing to find 



