THE WEEVILS. 59 



joint inclusive ; the thorax is longer than wide, rounded be- 

 fore, convex above, and deeply indented on each side of the 

 base ; the wing-covers are convex, gradually taper behind, 

 and do not cover the tip of the abdomen ; the under-side of 

 the body, and the legs, are brownish red. Its length is from 

 four to six tenths of an inch. This insect was unknown to 

 Mr. Say, and does not seem to have been described before. 



The generical name Hylecoetus, given to some insects of 

 this family, means a sleeper in the woods, or one who makes 

 his bed in the forest. We have one hitherto undescribed 

 species, which may be called Hylecoetas Americanus, the 

 American timber-beetle. Its head, thorax, abdomen, and 

 legs are light brownish red ; the wing-covers, except at the 

 base, where they are also red, and the breast, between the 

 middle and hindmost legs, are black. The head is not bowed 

 down under the fore part of the thorax ; the eyes are small 

 and black, and on the middle of the forehead there is one 

 small reddish eyelet, a character unusual among beetles, very 

 few of which have eyelets ; the antennae resemble those of 

 Lymexylon sericeum., but are shorter ; the thorax is nearly 

 square, but wider than long ; and on each wing-cover there 

 are three slightly elevated longitudinal lines or ribs. This 

 beetle is about four tenths of an inch long. It appears on 

 the wing in July. 



The foregoing beetles, though differing much in form and 

 habits, possess one character in common ; namely, their feet 

 are five-jointed. Those that follow have four-jointed feet. 

 In this great section of Coleopterous insects are arranged 

 the Weevil tribe, the Capricorn beetles or long-horned bor- 

 ers, and various kinds of leaf-eating beetles, all of which are 

 exceedingly injurious to vegetation. 



So great is the extent of the Weevil tribe,* and so imper- 

 fectly known is the history of a large part of our native 



* See page 21. 



