76 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



Chestnuts are attacked by two species, the larger appearing 

 early in the season and perforating the bur with its beak, which 

 is twice as long as the body ; the smaller appearing later, often 

 waiting to deposit its eggs until the burs have opened and then 

 using its strongly curved beak to make the perforation in the 

 nut itself. It follows that the larvae found in gathered nuts are 

 more often those of the smaller species, the other having usually 

 completed its growth and left the nut to pass the winter in the 

 ground before the gathering begins. Both of these species, B. 

 algonqninus and B. rectus, have been found on Staten Island. 



Hickory and pecan nuts are attacked by another species, which 

 differs from all the rest by its vestiture being hairy rather than 

 scaly. This species was named B. caryae by Dr. Geo. H. Horn 

 from specimens raised from nuts by Akhurst. This species has 

 not been found on Staten Island. 



Hazelnuts are attacked by a different species with a more 

 obtuse form and shorter beak. From the investigation of Brooks 

 it seems to be shorter lived than most, completing its oviposition 

 in three weeks, and causing the damaged nuts to fall early to 

 the ground. This species also has not been found on Staten 

 Island. 



Acorns are attacked by a still uncertain number of species, 

 some of which have been found on Staten Island. Some of these 

 prefer the annual-fruiting oaks, others the biennial, all are ap- 

 parently liable to change their food when necessary ; but it may 

 be regarded as fairly certain that the longer-beaked species pre- 

 fers the biennial-fruiting oaks and uses its long beak either to 

 perforate the cup or the apex of the nut, placing its tgg farther 

 within the nut than the short-beaked species. 



The life history of all, subject to some variations, comprises 

 the oviposition in summer, a larval period within the nut or 

 acorn of a few weeks' duration, a larval period in the ground 

 after the fruit has fallen of about ten months' duration, a rapid 

 pupation and exit from the ground as imago in the following 

 summer at a time when the nuts or acorns are formed. Details 



