41 



lowish in color than those from squares. The length, including the 

 snout extended, ranges from one-eighth to three-eighths of an inch, 

 with the breadth of the body equal to about one-third of its length. 

 The snout is about one-half as long as the remainder of the body. Its 

 diameter is equal to about one-eighth of its length. It is but slightly 

 curved (see PI. I, fig. 2) and is of a shiny dark-brown color. The 

 antenna?, or u feelers," are attached to the snout slightly nearer to its 

 tip than to the base. The head is small and conical in shape and partly 

 covered by the following segment. This segment, the prothorax, is 

 about two-thirds as long as it is wide. The scales upon it are most 

 numerous along the middle of the back and upon the sides. The sides 

 through the middle half of the body are approximately parallel. The 

 back is coarsely punctate, and the entire body is more or less thickly 

 covered with hair-like yellow scales. These scales may become rubbed 

 off, leaving the dark-brown color of the body more apparent. The 

 legs are rather stout, the femur being club shaped, and bearing on the 

 inner side at the thickest part a stout tooth. The fore pair alone have 

 two of these teeth. (See PL X, figs. 40 and 41.) 



The size, shape of the body, color, and two teeth upon the forelegs 

 are sufficient characters by which to separate, as a general rule, this 

 species from the others commonly mistaken for it. (See p. 64, Pis. 

 X, XI, and XII, figs. 40 to 57.) 



SIZE OF WEEVILS. 



Size of boll weevils is an especially variable quantity, and, as usual, 

 varies almost directly in proportion to the abundance of the larval 

 food supply and the length of the period of larval development. The 

 extremes are so great that the smallest and largest weevils would be 

 thought by one not thorough ty familiar with them to be of entirely 

 different species. So far as dimensions may convey an idea of the 

 size, we may say that the weevils range from 3 to 8 mm. (i to i inch) 

 in length, including the proboscis extended, and from 1 to 3 mm. (^ 

 to i inch) in breadth at the middle of the body. (See PI. I, fig. 1.) 



RELATION OF SIZE TO FOOD SUPPLY. 



The smallest weevils are developed from squares which were very 

 small, and which, for some reason, either of plant condition or of 

 additional weevil injury, fell very soon after the egg was deposited. 

 The supply of food was not only small, but also, owing to the imma- 

 turity of the pollen sacs, its quality was poor. Normally squares con- 

 tinue to grow for a week or more after eggs are deposited in them, and 

 such squares produce the weevils of average size and color. 



The largest weevils are produced in bolls which grow to maturity. 

 In them the food supply is most abundant, and the period of larval 



