PEA WEEVILS. 109 



miles south of Worcester, and is also a Pea-growing neighbourhood) : — 

 " A most destructive insect, hitherto little known here, has made its 

 appearance in large numbers in this district, and attacks the Peas, 

 which are just coming up. It bites the leaf first ; afterwards the 

 stem. Early Peas are much grown in this neighbourhood, and I am 

 informed that many acres have been destroyed by the ravages of this 

 pest." And on the 23rd the following additional notes were sent to 

 me: — "From what I can gather the beetle is not unknown in the 

 neighbourhood, but its ravages have never been so serious before. It 

 appears to attack the white Peas in preference to the grey variety, and 

 it has destroyed many acres." 



The greatest extent of damage reported was, however, from Essex, 

 and the first note of the infestation being severe there was forwarded 

 to me on the 26th of April, by Mr. James C. Smith, from Sandford 

 Mill, Chelmsford. The specimens in this case were of the " Spotted " 

 Pea Weevil, with perhaps some of the " Striped " species amongst 

 them. Mr. James Smith wrote as follows: — "In this neighbourhood 

 there are large quantities of Peas grown for the London market. This 

 year they are attacked, and scores of acres quite destroyed by a small 

 brown insect, three-sixteenths of an inch long. They are extremely 

 difficult to find, as when you approach near they drop off the Peas, 

 and then are so exactly like little pieces of earth that they quite escape 

 notice, unless very carefully searched for. Will you kindly say 

 anything you can suggest for a cure ? I have not yet ploughed up my 

 Peas, as the stumps are still alive, eaten off to the ground, but several 

 of my neighbours have done so." 



On the 30th of April, Mr. J. Smith wrote further:— "We are 

 trying soot, &c., in a small way in the garden, but the crop has so nearly 

 disappeared in the field, that it is not worth the heavy expense the 

 dressing there would entail. The infestation is very bad about here 

 this year ; nothing like it known before, of late years at any rate. I 

 presume it is chiefly due to the excessive cold checking the growth, 

 and enabling the little creatures to devour the plant bodily." 



From Stubbers, near Eomford, Mr. Champion B. Russell wrote on 

 the 2nd of May : — " Just one line about the Sitones. The Peas in my 

 garden are quite free, but the farmers around have suffered heavily. 

 Most of them have imagined it was ' slug,' and have limed vigorously, 

 but not always when the leaf was wet." . . . "I think that all I 

 sdiW vf ere S.crinita." . . . " Many of my neighbours have ploughed 

 in their Peas." 



Two days afterwards (on the 4th of May) very characteristic speci- 

 mens of injured Peas, together with Sitones weevils, apparently crinitus, 

 were sent me from Maylands, Hornchurch (also near Romford), by 

 Mr. Collinson Hall, with the observation that they were specimens of 



