96 
Observations on the various Insects 
rounded ; it is suddenly narrowed before, at the base of the head, 
and the whole surface is covered with large deep punctures, lea\'ing 
a smooth line down the centre, but almost uniting on the sides; 
the scutellum is minute and semi- ovate ; the eljtra are about as 
long as the head and thorax, not broader, oval, but truncated at 
the base, and sometimes narrowed a little at the middle ; the dark 
specimens have 4 distinct orange-coloured spots, 2 on the shoul- 
ders and 2 near the tips, and there are regular rows of confluent 
deep little pits down the back, with lines of minute bristles between 
the alternate rows ; the wings are ample, and folded under the 
elytra ; the under side is coarsely punctured ; the 6 legs are very 
strong, and rather short ; they are also punctured, especially the 
thighs, which are stout ; the shanks are short, slightly compressed, 
with series of minute bristles down the outside, and a short curved 
claw at the external apex ; the tarsi can be bent quite back against 
the shanks, and are 4 jointed ; the 3rd joint is bilobed, the 4th 
clavate and furnished with 2 minute claws : it is only 1| line long, 
and scarcely f broad. 
I have often in early life found these beetles amongst rice, from 
which grain it receives its specific name OryzcB, and it no doubt 
was originally imported from the East Indies with that important 
article of food ; but I have seen it infesting wheat from Ancona, 
sent to Mark-lane for sale in 1844, and from various granaries. 
Professor Royle also transmitted me specimens which were de- 
stroying East Indian wheat in the ships by which it was brought 
over to this country. 
On cutting open the grains of the Ancona wheat, I found at the 
base of the kernel, in multitudes of instances, a cavity (fig. 13) 
containing a very small larva, curled up, of a dirty-white colour, 
with a ferruginous horny head (fig. 14 e). This is the young 
grub of the weevil, and I have no doubt the egg is deposited by the 
female in this end of the grain, but I have never succeeded in ob- 
taining the eggs or rearing the larva?. I could not help remark- 
ing, that however sound the grains might appear outside in this 
sample, there were scarcely any that had not been perforated (fig. 
\of ; and 16y. the same magnified) ; and I could not find one in 
twenty that did not contain some of the beetles or grubs (fig. 17). 
The pupa? that I found in situ were all dead, and consequently not 
such perfect objects as I wished to delineate (fig. 18; ^, the natural 
size) : they are, however, like most weevil pupa*, of a yellowish- 
white colour, and soft, with the rostrum, antennae, legs, and elytra 
visible through the skin. 
It is evident they are preyed upon by a parasitic hymenoj)terous 
insect, for in one of the grains I detected an apterous blackish- 
green specimen wiiii rufous legs, but it was too much mutilated to 
draw from. I am pretty certain it is the same species, or closely 
