78 MUSTAKD. 



This Curtis confirms in his 'Farm Insects,' p. 106, on the authority 

 also of other observers named, noting, " This little weevil in the 

 perfect or beetle state destroys the young Turnips by puncturing the 

 leaves." 



But though we have plenty of evidence, dating as far back of the 

 damage caused from time to time by these little weevils, the CurcuUo, 

 now Cento rhynchus, of Marsham, both to the sprouting shoot and 

 young leafage of Turnips, and in the past season have seen only too 

 much of the harm caused to the sprouting Mustard plants, yet I have 

 been unable, after careful search through all the works to which I have 

 access on entomology, or agricultural insects attacks, to find any 

 observations on its locality of life in its maggot stage excepting the 

 very valuable record by Kirby and Spence of breeding it from galls on 

 Charlock roots. 



At p. 189 of 'Introduction to Entomology,' vol. i., previously 

 quoted, Kirby and Spence speak definitely of kuobs on the roots of 

 Sinapis arvensis (that is, Charlock, as we commonly call it in England), 

 from which knobs they bred this weevil, now known as Ceutorhynchus 

 contractus. Curtis, in ' Farm Insects,' p. 106, draws attention to this 

 observation ; and in the north British communications sent me in 1881, 1 

 have a note in the observations of Mr. Geo. Brown, of Watten Mains, 

 Caithness, of " the crop of Oats preceding the root crop" (which was 

 severely injured by the C. contractus weevil) being "badly infested 

 with Charlock, the field at one time being completely yellow with its 

 flowers." 



Here it appears as if we might have the origin of the attack. At 

 any rate it would be well worth while in the coming season to make 

 sure how many different species of weevils live in the knobs or galls of 

 Charlock roots. I would be happy to endeavour to identify any 

 specimens. 



At present (so far as recorded observations at hand show) the pre- 

 valence of this special weevil infestation appears to depend very much 

 on how previous state of the weather may have influenced preparation 

 of the ground for the seed bed, and weather at the time of sprouting 

 of the crop be favourable to its growth. Where the state of the 

 land allows this minute beetle with its sharp hard snout to make 

 its way wherever it pleases, and the weather at the same time keeps 

 back the young plants from pushing on to the age and condition in 

 which they would be past its power to harm them, the consequences 

 are necessarily bad. 



Presence of Charlock has also preceded bad attack of this weevil, 

 and the size of its wings (see flg., p. 74) shows the beetle would have 

 no difficulty in coming from any moderate distance to a good feeding- 

 ground. 



