17 
same proportion as blackberries, and Mr. B. B. Behrend reported inju- 
ries also to •• black cap" raspberries. 
Other plants which it was thought possible might be exceptionally 
attacked by this insect were carefully examiued, but no traces of its 
work were apparent. The blossoms of apple, pear, peach, and cherry 
were searched, and of wild plants, sassafras, cherry, and locust. The 
last named is much frequented by ants, which might repel the weevils. 
Notes on the Habits of the Adults. — As night approaches the beetles 
descend to the base of the strawberry plants for shelter. Here, with 
antenme and legs folded tightly to their bodies, they are tolerably 
secure from nocturnal marauders, such as Carabidae and other preda- 
ceous insects, until the morning sun awakes them to activity. 
In the field it is doubtful if this insect ever eats the leaves of straw- 
berry, as there is usually a supply of pollen and petals sufiicient for its 
needs, but should this supply for any reason become exhausted the 
leaves would undoubtedly suffer. In our rearing cages the insects 
lived for some time on strawberry leaves, but when blossoms were 
introduced the insects found them, at once showing their preference. 
Duration of the Life-Cycle. — A quantity of severed buds were gath- 
ered in the field May 3. all of which had been cut that day or the day 
previous. These began to disclose the imago June 5, and all had issued 
by the Sth. These data show that the life-cycle from egg to adult is 
from twenty-eight to thirty days. The weather during this period was 
unusually cool until the last few days, hence the average oeriod of the 
life-cycle may be said to be about four weeks. 
Process of Oviposition. — Previous efforts to observe oviposition in con- 
finement having failed, the insects were watched in the field, many 
individuals being observed puncturing the buds, and in the act of cut- 
ting the stems. The female usually works head downward, and is some, 
times alone but often accompanied by the male. The egg is laid first 
and after severing the stem the insect always departed. After perfo- 
rating the corolla, the insect turns around and applying the tip of her 
abdomen to the hole deposits a single egg, then crawls to the stein, 
places herself firmly on the upper surface, head downward as before, 
and deliberately severs the bad containing the egg from the stem. 
The latter is sometimes only punctured, but in bright sunshiny weather 
a number of insects were observed, all of which cut off the stem until it 
hung only by a thin shred of the epidermis. The stem was cut straight 
across, the insect working rapidly and steadily until the stem began to 
droop, when she ceased operations and withdrew down the stem. 
On cool, damp, or cloudy days, the insect is not active and does not, 
therefore, accomplish as much as in pleasant weather. A field was 
visited on a fair, warm day following a cool, rainy spell of two or three 
days' duration, and an excellent opportunity was afforded for compari- 
son. Stems could be seen that had been attacked only a day or two 
before, a single black speck showing where the punctures had been 
