63 



increased directly in proportion to the number of her eggs that she 

 places one in a square, and favorable food conditions for the larva 

 are best maintained by avoiding feeding upon squares in which eggs 

 have been deposited, and also by refraining from ovipositing in squares 

 which have been much fed upon. These habits of selections are, 

 therefore, of the greatest importance in the reproduction of the weevil, 

 since they insure the most favorable conditions for the maturity of 

 the largest possible number of offspring. In other words, these habits 

 enable the weevil to do the greatest damage of which it is capable 

 while the cotton crop is "making." 



These habits are perhaps less strongly marked in the case of bolls, 

 though still plainly manifested. Feeding and oviposition are common 

 in the same boll, but unless the infestation is very great indeed it 

 appears that only rarely is more than one egg placed in one lock, 

 though several are often deposited in the same boll. The number de- 

 posited depends considerably upon the size of the boll. The smallest, 

 which have just set, receive but one, as do the squares, and these fall 

 and produce the adult weevil at about the same period as in the case 

 of squares. Bolls which are larger when they become infested are 

 often found to be thickly punctured and sometimes contain 6 or 8 

 larva3. The weevil seems to know when the food supply is sufficient 

 to support a number of larvae and deposits eggs accordingly. 



ACTIVITY OF WEEVILS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE DAY. 



The 5 females used in these tests were kept in a field cage on pre- 

 viously uninfested plants, and examinations of their work were made 

 mostly at four-hour intervals from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m. The exact work 

 found was recorded upon tags attached to the squares themselves. 

 Temperature readings were taken at the same time as the observa- 

 tions. The results are most clearly presented in tabular form (p. 64). 



