projecting beyond the wins? cases. The upper side of the abdomen is 

 exposed and its spiracles are now conspicuous. 



Under the investing skin of the pupa the beetle slowly develops its 

 organs, and at hist splits it and emerges Soft and pale, it does not 

 leave the tree at once, but waits until its integuments have hardened 

 and have acquired their full colour. Then it breaks through the rind 

 which shelters it and comes out as an adult weevil. A certain number 

 are unable to escape from different causes and perish in the tree. 



The holes made by the exit of beetles are conspicuous, and may afford 

 the careless observer the first clear sign of the mischief that is going 

 on. They occur anywhere in the soft part of the palm .stem, and most 

 frequently just below the head. Cocoons are not to be found in the 

 cabbage, but only close to the outside in the neighbourhood of the fibre 

 from which they are made. 



The length of life of the perfect weevil and the time passed in the 

 early stages have not been ascertained, nor have the periods at which 

 egg-laying i> performed. These points are less important in tropical 

 than in temperate countries, where the life-periods of an insect are 

 closely related to seasonal change. But in the tropics the dry and wet 

 seasons, at least, influence the stages of insect-life, and an effort should 

 be made to obtain accurate knowledge of matters which are of so great 

 importance. Prevention of egg-laying for example is likely to be 

 more successful if carried out in reference to the seasons of oviposition, 

 should any such exist. 



The Palmetto Weevil of the Gulf States of North America (a feeder 

 on Sabal Palmetto) is said by Summers (13) to emerge as a perfect 

 insect in September and October, to live through the winter and lay 

 eggs m the early summer, the grubs being found in the latter part of 

 .June and duly. Adult weevils are usually long-lived, and it is possible 

 that the Palm Weevil lives nearly a year as a perfect insect. 



Mr. Hunter believes that there is more than one brood a year, which 

 is probable, and specimens in all stages are said to have been taken from 

 the same tree (26). This would show that seasonal development is not 

 well marked, but the observer may have been mistaken as to the 

 identity of some of the younger specimens found. 



IV.— Economic Features of : 



, have alone been described, 

 economic questions involved, the appearance of the injured trees and the 

 extent of the damage inflicted, the circumstances which favour the 

 Weevil's destruetiveness and those that tend to limit it. 



The American Palm Weevil feeds on several kinds of palm, probably 

 oh almost any kind, particularly of the soft-stemmed palm- ; among the 

 species it is known to attack are the Cocoa-nut palm ( Coros intcij'vra), 

 the Cohoon palm (Attalai Co/nun ). t'he Cabbage palm ( < ' )rtti(l<>,ca oh ra- 

 ced), the Big Thatch palm [Sahul mnbranilift m) and the .Macaw Tree 



It also attacks sugar-cane. Its range extends from South California 

 over Central and South America a- far as Brazil, and it is found in the 

 West Indian Islands. The Indian species occurs throughout the 

 Oriental region of naturalists (India, Borneo, Java, &c), and is also a 

 general feeder on palms, particularly on the Cocoa-nut palm and the 

 Toddy- tree (Phamix sylvestris) (35)". 



