102 



perature was lowered to 59° F.,at which point 5 weevils were sprawl- 

 ing on the bottom of the test tube or clinging to one another, 4 were 

 clustered on the stopper, while 1 was slowty crawling downward. At 

 50° F. 6 weevils at the bottom showed slight signs of life and 1 was 

 crawling slowly. At*45.5°F. slight signs of life were still shown, 

 while at 40° F. occasional movements only were noted. Upon the tem- 

 perature being raised weevils began crawling as 50° F. was passed, and 

 at 64° F. all had left the bottom and were crawling upward. Some 

 recovered much more quickly than did others. 



The temperature was again lowered, this time by the use of salt with 

 ice. All movement ceased at 37° F. The cooling, however, was con- 

 tinued to 33° F., after which it was slowly raised to 42° F., at which 

 point movements began. 



In a general way these results agree quite closely with outdoor 

 observations. 



GRADUAL, DEVELOPMENT DURING HIBERNATION IN SOUTH 



TEXAS. 



• 



In southern Texas larvae and pupae which are in squares when frost 

 comes are not always killed thereby, but slowly finish their develop- 

 ment if the weather is warm enough for any activity, and the young 

 adults thus developed may live the winter through without feeding. 

 As observed by Mr. E. A. Schwarz in the winter of 1901-2, weevils 

 may pass the winter in either larval, pupal, or adult stages, but the 

 last named is by far the most common stage. 



It is likely that a large part of the weevils found in the squares and 

 bolls during the first part of the winter will be in the larval stage, 

 while, owing to the slow development which takes place, a larger per- 

 centage of adults will be found toward spring. Mr. J. D. Mitchell, 

 of Victoria, Tex., took a number of live larvae, pupae, and adults from 

 boils in a field in that locality on December 26, 1903, after " two hard 

 frosts and one freeze." Two weeks later, from a field at the same 

 locality, after Jhree hard frosts and two freezes, he took another lot 

 of live specimens in these three stages. In the latter case the bolls 

 examined were on stalks which had been plowed out two weeks before 

 and were ready for burning at the time examined. Mr. Mitchell, who 

 is an excellent and reliable observer, writes: u On December 26 there 

 was still some sap in the cotton stalks," and on January 10, when the 

 second examination was made, u there was absolutely none." " The 

 larvae seem to thrive and arrive at perfection in the dead and dried 

 bolls. A frost or freeze at 30° F. does not hurt the larvae or pupae in 

 dead bolls in the field. " As the two lots, taken together with four others |j 

 Bent January 17, 31, and February 7 and 14, 1904, include 197 specimens 

 (23 larvae, 30 pupae, and 144 adults), it is evident that large numbers of I 

 weevils go into the winter in the immature stages, and there is every 



