28 
exhibits of Brazil and Venezuela, most of the exhibited seeds being 
badly decomposed toward the latter days of the Exposition. 
In May, 1894, we received specimens for identification from Mr. E. H. 
Price, of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, and later the 
species is mentioned in Bulletin 31 of that station (p. 4:66) as seeming 
to be the most injurious weevil to the cowpea in the State of Texas. 
September 1 Mr. G. H. Hicks, of this Department, sent to this office 
at my request a lot of "Black eye" cowpeas infested with this insect. 
Tbey were obtained from the Georgia Experiment Station at Experi- 
ment in the spring of 1896. On the day following Mr. F. 0. Pratt 
brought me two specimens of this insect which he had found in a pack- 
age of soap just purchased at a grocery store in this city. At my 
request he repaired to the store for more material. In response to 
inquiry as to where the insects had probably bred the clerk stated that 
he did not know unless they had developed in a barrel of cucumber 
pickles, where they were abundant at the time. They were also con- 
spicuously numerous in buckets of preserves, apparently being 
attracted by the moist sugar that had been used in preparing these. 
The beetles were also crawling all over the store, and the clerks were 
brushing them off as though they were fleas. Their origin was traced 
to a sack of cowpeas of the variety just mentioned. September 17, or 
fifteen days after the receipt of the infested cowpeas, they were again 
examined and found to be very musty and in an advanced state of 
decomposition, the odor being perceptible at a considerable distance. I 
have noticed of this species more than of any other insect that attacks 
stored products that decomposition sets in at a very early period, 
and that this is more noticeable in the case of. cowpeas than any other 
product. 
Distribution. — This species is well known throughout the South, and 
isin all probability to be found wherever cowpeas are cultivated. In the 
National Museum collection are specimens labeled Georgia, Florida, 
and Texas. We have series from Crescent City, Lake City, and Enter- 
prise, Fla., and Mr. W. H. Ashmead has taken it at Utica, Miss- 
Messrs. Osborn and Mally found it breeding in the field at Ames, 
Iowa, and from frequently finding the species in the District of Colum- 
bia I have little doubt that it is acclimated here. From abroad we 
have specimens from Venezuela and Brazil, and the species is recorded 
also from the East Indies, Sierra Leone, and elsewhere. 
Parasitic enemies. — From one of the lots of cowpeas obtained in this 
city were reared what appear to be three species of parasitic Pteromali- 
nse, all as yet undescribed and not referable beyond a certain doubt to 
the proper genera. In a peck of infested cowpeas obtained during 
November it was estimated that between 50 and 75 per cent of the 
seed taken from the top gave out parasites. 
