60 COLEOPTEBA. 



species, that I shall be obliged to confine myself to an ac- 

 count of a few only of the most remarkable weevils, and 

 principally those that have become most known for their 

 depredations. Mr. Kollar's excellent " Treatise on Insects 

 injurious to Gardeners, Foresters, and Farmers," contains 

 an account of several kinds of weevils that are unknown 

 in this country ; and indeed but few resembling them have 

 hitherto been discovered here. Should future observations 

 lead to the detection in our gardens and orchards of any 

 like those which in Europe attack the vine, the plum, the 

 apple, the pear, and the leaves and stems of fruit-trees, the 

 work of Mr. Kollar may be consulted with great advantage. 



Weevils, in the winged state, are hard-shelled beetles, and 

 are distinguished from other insects by having the fore part 

 of the head prolonged into a broad muzzle or a longer and 

 more slender snout, in the end of which the opening of the 

 mouth and the small horny jaws are placed. The flies and 

 moths produced from certain young insects, called weevils 

 by mistake, do not possess these characters, and their larvae 

 or young differ essentially from those of the true weevils. 

 The latter belong to a group called RHYNCHOPHORnxae, lit- 

 erally, snout-bearers. These beetles are mostly of small size. 

 Their antennae are usually knobbed at the end, and are 

 situated on the muzzle or snout, on each side of which there 

 is generally a short groove to receive the base of the antennae 

 when the latter are turned backwards. Their feelers are 

 very small, and, in most kinds, are concealed within the 

 mouth. The abdomen is often of an oval form, and wider 

 than the thorax. The legs are short, not fitted for run- 

 ning or digging, and the soles of the feet are short and 

 flattened. These beetles are often very hurtful to plants, 

 by boring into the leaves, bark, buds, fruit, and seeds, and 

 feeding upon the soft substance therein contained. They 

 are diurnal insects, and love to come out of their retreats 

 and enjoy the sunshine. Some of them fly well ; but others 

 have no wings, or only very short ones, under the wing- 



