29 



elsewhere in Massachusetts; Penn Yan and Ithaca, N. Y., and in the 

 neighborhood of New York City, on Long Island and Staten Island; 

 and in neighboring- portions of New Jersey, as also elsewhere through- 

 out the latter State; Mount Joy, St. Vincent, Allegheny County, Pa.; 

 North Carolina; Baltimore, Md. ; Washington, D. C. ; Pennington 

 Gap and elsewhere in Virginia; French Creek, Harpers Ferry, Fort 

 Pendleton, and Berkeley, W. Va. ; Ohio; Ketreat, N. C. 



The larva, as would be supposed, is much smaller than that of the 

 chinquapin weevil, being only a third of an inch long and about a third 

 as wide as long. The body is milk-white and the head light brownish 

 yellow, the A-mark with a short lateral branch each side. 



TIME OF APPEARANCE OF THE TWO CHESTNUT SPECIES. 



Balaninus jproboscideus, according to Hamilton's observations, ap- 

 pears at the time of the first blooming of chestnuts, and disappears 

 when the blossoms have fallen. In his rearing experiments at Alle- 

 gheny, Pa., the beetles began to issue June 25, and ceased July 12. 

 Mr. Th. Pergande reared the beetles in the District of Columbia from 

 August 10 to September 15. As 80 examples were reared by Hamilton 

 and the mean temperature was nearly normal (although not so con- 

 sidered by Hamilton himself), these dates are approximate for regions 

 with a climate like that of Allegheny, Pa. 



Balaninus rectus was reared by Hamilton from June 28 till October 

 1, 95 examples having been under observation. This experience 

 coincides somewhat closely with the writer's who has found this 

 species in the field, although somewhat scatteringly, when chestnuts 

 were in bloom, and reared specimens in captivity during the latter 

 days of September which remained alive nearly a month. 



From present knowledge it is evident, therefore, that i?rohoscideus 

 might be somewhat more easily controlled than rectus, with its much 

 longer active period. In most other respects the two species show 

 very close agreement as to their life histoiw. 



HIBERNATION. 



The chestnut weevils, as also all related species, so far as we know, 

 hibernate exclusively in the larval condition and in the soil. This 

 gives a larval period of at least ten months, and some individuals 

 (reared in confinement, it is true, but under comparatively natural con- 

 ditions) pass over till another year, this being the exception, but 

 evidently a provision of nature for the continuance of the species. In 

 such cases the larval condition lasts nearly two years. This has been 

 noticed by Doctor Hamilton in the case of several species, and in our 

 own rearing jars in the case of the smaller chestnut weevil, Balaninus 

 rectus. 



