32 BULLETIN 231, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Little attention was paid to the deaths at first, but in about three 

 days nearly all weevils in this series had died. It was then noted 

 that instead of presenting the usual appearance of death the weevils 

 became very dark in color, almost black, in fact. On touching these 

 weevils it was found that they were very soft and the body contents 

 were liquified. This liquid had the usual dark color and character- 

 istic odor of flacherie of lepidopterous larvae. The source of the 

 seemingly diseased weevils was investigated, and it was found that 

 all came from squares kept in a California breeding box which had 

 contained lepidopterous larvae infected with flacherie only a short 

 time previously. Two of the dead weevils were submitted to Dr. 

 G. F. White, of this bureau, for bacteriological examination, and he 

 reported as follows : 



In the examinations made the findings in the two specimens are the same. The 

 direct examination shows the presence of a very large number of microorganisms, 

 which seem to be bacteria. The appearances suggest that most of these organisms 

 belong to one species. Comparatively few colonies appeared in plate cultures made 

 from the material. There is some indication, therefore, that the trouble is bacterial 

 in origin. These results can be interpreted, of course, only as suggesting the pos- 

 sibility. 



While the results secured by Dr. White are by no means conclu- 

 sive, they do, as he says, suggest the possibility of a bacterial dis- 

 ease of the boll weevil. Although it is but a mere possibility, there 

 is evidently an opportunity for considerable profitable investigation 

 of the subject. 



BEHAVIOR OF LOUISIANA WEEVILS AT VICTORIA. 



Late in the season a number of infested squares were imported 

 from Tallulah, La., in order to test the weevils emerging from them in 

 their various life functions in comparison with Texas weevils. As 

 the work was interrupted by the cool weather very little was learned 

 from the series, but some results of interest were secured. Four 

 pairs of weevils were mated on cotton squares immediately after 

 emergence and tested for fecundity. These weevils emerged on 

 September 18 and on September 20 one female deposited 1 egg and 

 another deposited 2. The latter female deposited another egg on 

 September 22, and then neither of these two deposited any more eggs 

 before the series was closed on October 29. The third female lived 

 through the same period and did not deposit an egg. The fourth 

 female emerged September 20, deposited 1 egg on September 22, 

 and then waited 14 days before depositing another. Then deposi- 

 tion started normally and 37 eggs were laid in the next 23 days. 

 These results are very peculiar, especially the fact that three out of the 

 four females began deposition on the second day after emergence and 

 then stopped; two of them permanently and one for a period of 

 14 days. 



