228 



Pachvehynchus.- 



-INSECTS.- 



-Elytrurus. 



cj'linder liaving at one end the mid-rib, whose spirals 

 then resemble those of the mainspring of a watch, and 

 at the other, whicli is of a less regnlar shape, the serra- 

 tures of the leaf, so pushed in by means of her trunk 

 and fore legs as to retain the whole in its c}'lindrical 

 form. The larva proceeding from the egg thus 

 deposited towards the end of May is hatched early in 

 June, and never quits the habitation which its provi- 

 dent and truly laborious mother (for each egg requires 

 its separate leaf and the long process above described) 

 has prepared for it, eating in succession the different 

 rolls of its cj'linder, till it has attained its full growth." 

 So far for Messrs. Kirby and Spence. 



Section II.— GONATOCERATA (Weevils). 



The great division Cueculionid-e or Gon.'VTOCE- 

 B.\TA, have the first joint of the antennse generally 

 longer than the others, and geniculated or elbowed. It 

 is divided into many groups. There are the Bracliy- 

 deridce, with thirty five British species — some very 

 pretty, as in the genus Polydrosus ; they have all a 

 chort thorax and a short beak. 



There are a noble set of Curculionidae in South 

 America, of which one is figured on Plate 4, fig. 9 — 

 the Cijpliits Hancockl ; its tine, soft, green scales and 

 bronzy gold patches are very beautiful. But most 



ris- i-.'i. 



l'achyili\ nuhus uibiier. 



of the species of Cyphtts are fine objects for the 

 microscope. Near it is the genus Entiinus, contain- 

 ing the well-known Diamond Beetles. The Pacliy- 

 rhyncki are from the Philippine islands, and are peifeot 

 gems ; one species in particular, with a rich ruby 

 back -ground and round ]iatches on that ground, com- 

 ])Osed of lovely green, gold, and prismatically coloured 

 Bcales. Fig 121 shows Paclnjrhynchus orhifer. 



The species of Nuupactiis and Diaprepes are often 

 covered with beautiful scales. 



Of the group Cleonidw there are thirty-five recorded 

 British species placed in thirteen genera. The typical 

 gunus Cleomts abounds in species. 



Molytcs is a small genus of black, fat-looking beetles, 

 while Phytovoimis is a large genus of smallish-sized 

 Weevils, maiy of them very destructive to plants. 



The various species of Hylohivs are, where they 

 abound, very injurious in forests of the pine tribe, as 

 they often quite destroy the young trees. The larch, 

 now so extensively planted for its useful timber, is at 

 times much destroyed by the Hylobius abittis. Mr. 

 Elliott of Wolfelee lately communicated to the Ento- 

 raological Society some interesting remarks on the 

 ravages of this beetle in Scotland. Mr. Janson has 

 also published in the Proceedings of the same society 

 (October, 1860) a nice account of this insect, chiefly 

 derived from the valuable wcrk of Ratzeburg. Thia 

 beetle seems to prefer in Germany the Pinus sylvatica 

 and P. ahies, although it attacks all the firs indiscrimi- 

 nately. It is the perfect beetle which is directly inju- 

 rious. It gnaws the young shoots, thus causing them 

 to wither. " The extremities of a tree thus attacked 

 (the most vigorous and healthy trees are invariably 

 selected by the beetle) several years in succession, 

 sickness and death inevitably ensue, in dry seasons 

 especially ; the mischief this beetle occasions in woods 

 where it abounds is almost incredible." 



The beetles come out from May to October. The 

 females deposit their eggs, and the larvie live, either in 

 the stems of sickly, dead standing, or felled trees. 

 They deposit their eggs also in stumps and roots. 

 The forester shoidd therefore grub up all stumps, and 

 clear out all sickly and dead trees, in order to restrain 

 the nmltiplication of this beetle. The timber should be 

 barked as soon as jiracticable after it is felled, as the 

 females only dejjosit their eggs in the bark. 



Among the plans mentioned by Ratzeburg for de- 

 stroying these beetles the most successful seem to be 

 the following : the digging of pits and trenches with 

 perpendicular sides at short intervals round the plan- 

 tations and along the sides of the ])aths. Into these 

 the beetles fall or fly, and, being unable to escape, they 

 are taken and destroyed. In Germany they also lay 

 bunches of young fir boughs about the plantations or 

 In the pits. By shaking these daily over cloths, the 

 beetles are collected and destroyed. Ratzeburg says, 

 that as many as two thousand five liundred beetles 

 liave been taken daily from one hundred of these 

 bunches. It is necessary to replace these boughs when 

 dry with fresh ones, as they no longer attract beetles 

 in this state. Another method is to strew strips of 

 fresh fir bark about the plantations, with the inner 

 surface downwards. On lifting these, great numbers 

 of beetles are found to have congregated upon and 

 beneath them. 



The Bi/rsopskhe form a curious group, yery feebly 

 represented in Britain, where but one species is met 

 with — the Gronops lunatus. In South Africa there 

 are many striking species. 



In the group Otiorhynchida, there are thirty niie 

 British species belonging to the genera PliyUuhius, 

 Trachyphlcrus, Omias, Otiorhynclnis, &c. 



The genus Ehjtrums is found in the islands to the 

 north of New Zealand. It has singularly elongated 

 elytra. Fig. 122 represents the Elytriirus atratxis. 



We may briefly refer to the habits of some of the 

 species of Otiorhynchus, a very extensive genus. Some 

 of the most destructive of the weevil tribe b<dong to 

 the genus Otiorhynchus. Among these the 0. sulca- 



