APPENDIX 187 



«atiBg off the anthers, and thus rendering the flowers 

 abortive. Being a large species, this and the last-named 

 beetle may be easily seen on the flowers and picked off 

 by hand ; or they may be caught with a bag net whilst 

 flying. If the grubs are numerous, the soil should be 

 turned over and hand-picked. A tame rook or seagull 

 is the best remedy for those at the roots of the plants. 



The weevils of the species Rhynchites, small metallic 

 blue and copper-Coloured beetles, pierce the tops of the 

 fihoots of various fruit trees, and lay their eggs in the 

 hole, thus stopping the growth of the shoots. B. 

 ■cwpreus lays its eggs in the young plums, and then 

 gnaws round the stem, so that the larva feeds in the 

 blighted fruit. 



The family of the Otiorhynchidae contain three ex- 

 ceedingly destructive insects : 



The Black Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus suhatus) is 

 four or five lines in length, of a dull black colour. 



The Clay-coloured Weevil (0. picipes), rather smaller 

 than the preceding species, is of a reddish-brown colour, 

 mottled with ashy scales. 



The Eed-legged Weevil (0. tenebricosus) is pitchy 

 black and rather shining, with bright chestnut legs. 



None of the species have wings, their wing-cases 

 being soldered together. Their bodies are egg-shaped 

 and convex, their beaks short. 



The larvse — legless, whitish, hairy maggots — live on 

 the roots of the food plant of their parents, and are to 

 be found from about August to the following spring. 



