affecting the Pea-crops, Marigold-iourzel^ and Beet. 401 



skin the limbs, folded up, of the future beetle. The horns, ros- 

 trum, and legs are compactly arrang:ed, and the small wing-cases 

 are wrapped round the sides, exposing the body. From this 

 pupa issues the beetle or weevil, which is included in the Order 

 CoLEOPTERA, the Family Curculionid^, and the Genus 

 Otiorhynchus, or Curculio, and is described by Fabricius as 



1. C. picipes ; but Marsham gave it the name of Curculio vastator, 

 from its destructive habits. It is of a clay-brown colour, and so exactly 

 partakes of the complexion of the soil, that when it remains at rest or 

 with the limbs contracted, as it falls down when disturbed, it is scarcely 

 possible for the eye to discern the creature. The horny covering is 

 curiously tuberculated, and sprinkled over with minute scales, more or 

 less inclining to white, yellow, or coppery. The head is produced into 

 a short stout rostrum, wduch is dilated at the apex by 2 cavities like 

 nostrils, in which the horns are inserted : these are chesnut-brown, 

 hairy, and 12-jointed; the basal joint is long, and forms an angle with 

 the remainder ; the 2nd is short and oval ; 3rd twice as long ; 5 follow- 

 ing, globose ; the rest forming an ovate-conic club ; the eyes are lateral, 

 black, and orbicular; at the extremity of the rostrum is placed the 

 mouth, which is composed of 5 distinct pieces: the 2 mandibles or jaws 

 (fig. 4) are horny and strong, terminating in a pointed tooth, with a 

 smaller one inside: the maxiili3e, or second pair of jaws (fig, 5), are also 

 strong, with a spiny lobe, and a bunch of long hairs beneath, with a 

 triarticulate palpus or feeler on the outside (fig. c) ; the mentum or chin 

 (fig. 6) is oval, concealing the lip and producing 2 minute biarticulate 

 palpi or feelers (d) : the thorax or trunk is subglobose, and twice as 

 broad as the head : the wing-cases are soldered together ; they are very 

 convex, oval, and clouded, with 20 row^s of pale dots formed by scales : 

 wings none: legs 6, strong and hairy; thighs stout, notched beneath; 

 tibiae or shanks flexuose, dilated at the apex and pectinated; feet 4- 

 jointed — 2 basal joints reverse — trigonate; 3rd, bilobed ; 4th, clavate, 

 terminated by 2 minute claws : fig. 2, the weevil reposing; fig. 3, the 

 same walking, but magnified. 



From the great variety of trees and vegetables on which these 

 weevils will subsist, it seems scarcely possible to guard against 

 their inroads. As they are unable to fly, when they attack the 

 pea-crops no donbt they sally forth from the hedge- rows, which 

 frequently swarm with these beetles, for I have found them in 

 multitudes, feeding on black-thorns, elms, lime-trees, &c., in 

 May. A dressing of salt or gas-lime would, I expect, destroy 

 the larvae, as either will the maggots of nuts ; but we seldom know 

 where they are deposited at this stage of their existence, and the 

 beetles are safer in their horny coats than a tortoise in his shell : 

 nothing but boiling water or spirits of turpentine seems even to 

 annoy them. It is diflficult, therefore, to apply any remedy ex- 

 cept hand-picking. The crops in nurseries have been preserved 

 by men going out at night and drawing the branches through 

 their hands^ and putting the weevils into large-mouthed bottles, 



