1838. HOUSE—No. 72. 83 
which have the rostrum or snout as long as the body, very slender, 
and curved ; the antenne are also long and slender, and are inserted 
rather beyond the middle of the rostrum. The name of this sub- 
genus is Balaninus, which signifies inhabiting a nut, (Gadavos, @ 
mut, and everms, Lamin,) and the insects are called nut-weevils. 
The European Balaninus nucum inhabits the hazel-nut. The fe- 
male, with her long rostrum, pierces the nut when young and soft, 
and then deposits in the hole an egg, from whence is hatched a small 
maggot that preys upon the kernel. The nut, not apparently injured 
by the slight perforation, continues to increase in size, and thus fur- 
nishes an abundant supply for its inhabitant. When this has finished 
eating, it forms in the shell with its teeth a regular, circular orifice, 
through which to make its exit. The fruit itself, as if aware of the 
necessities of the insect, now falls to the earth ; the grub quits ‘* the 
dark chambers of the caverned nut,’’ enters the soil, is transformed 
to a pupa, and remains at rest till the succeeding summer, when it 
emerges from its case to provide for the continuation of its species. 
Our most common nut-weevil, Balaninus rectus, is found from July 
to October. I have one specimen which was captured in a chestnut 
grove; but I have usually found this species in the vicinity of hazel- 
bushes, and believe that it inhabits the nut of that shrub, though [ 
have never witnessed its metamorphoses. 
The most pernicious of the weevil tribes are those insects which 
belong to the genus Calandra. ‘The antenne are inserted at the 
base of the rostrum, are geniculated, apparently eight-jointed, the 
last or eighth joint forms the club, and contains at its apex a minute, 
spongy, retractile mass which really constitutes another joint ; the 
body is oblong, plane or flat above, and the tip is naked or not cov- 
ered by the elytra. By these characters it is easy to recognize these 
insects. 
With the exception of a few large species, the genus Calandra is 
appropriated to the farinaceous grains, such as wheat, maize, rice, 
and various other cereal productions. There are several insects 
called weevils, some of which do not belong to the order Coleoptera, 
but the Calandre are the only true corn or grain weevils of scien- 
tific writers. 
Calandra oryze, the rice weevil, is very injurious to this useful 
grain, consuming its nutritious parts, and materially lessening its 
