35 



The skin of the body is somewhat velvety in texture, hut that 

 covering the back of the first segment is horny, brown and 

 polished, forming a shield-like protection, mid the hack and sides of 

 the three following segments present a series of small irregular horny 

 patches : these are the points where the skin, being much rubbed in 

 burrowing, loses its velvety pile mid becomes thickened, so as to form 

 callosities, the shape of which depends on the- surface wrinkling. The 

 hind segment of the body is also horny and terminates in a flat plate 

 strengthened at the edge with four bristle-bearing tubercles; above it 

 there is a triangular depression with thick raised edges. 



Insects breathe by holes or spiracles placed at the sides of most of 

 the segments, one pair to each. The grub of the Palm Weevil has but 

 two well-developed pairs, a most remarkable feature; the lirst pair 

 are to be seen as distinct vertical slits at the lower ends of the horny 

 shield which covers the back of the first segment, the last pair on the 

 inner margin of the thick raised edges above the tail-plate are also 

 conspicuous. (See VI.) Legs are only represented, if at all, by six 

 small tubercles on the underside of the three first segments. 



The shape of the hind segment, the position of the two pairs of well 



developed spiracles and the large size of the full-grown larva, will 



probably distinguish the grub of the Palm Weevil from that of any 



-.except a very lew mo-t nearly allied to it and of similar 



Kidley contests. They feed on the soft pith that tills the inside of the 

 stein up to the growing point, ami can he found in a in part of it. The 

 tree is killed by their feeding at the base of the cabbage and injuring 

 the growing point, whereas damage done to the pith in the lower part 

 of the stem does not mvessanlv prove fatal. There is some confusion 

 as to their feeding in the head of the tree or not, due partly to the 

 larva' of other insects being mistaken for them, partly to a loose use of 

 the term " cabbage," the limits of which are not taken to be the same 

 by different observers. It is die pith immediately below the true cabbage 

 thai appears lo form 1 li. ir fuw.urite source of food. The grub in boring 

 make- a tunnel corresponding 

 larger as the latter increases ir 



of the trunk which can serve as a conspicuous sign ot its presence. \V ben 



i nirn- to the outside of the tree, according to 



Dr. Gabb, by enlarging the channel along which it has come, a process 



thick 



ness of foo 



Iscap paper, wtween l 



t and the on 



ter'air 



1 shel 



1 the beetle 



ovareocoon^of'the^fi 



I 1 ;;: 1 ;;;;;;;;;; 



ndim'' 



is. of 



the fibro- 



vascular bundles ruin 



ling to ti. 



from 





three or more inches long and 











1 of a dense mass of 



interlacing 



'fibre, 



god' C 



ircnlarly a 



nd Suggesting a bird': 



* nest. No 



gum 



gs, the wings 



