description and seasonal histoey. 15 
Investigations of Vertebrate Enemies. 
In order to deteriniiie what assistance might be expected from birds 
and other animals besides insects, arrangements were made with the 
Biological Survey to send an assistant to Salt Lake in order to carry 
out extended investigations along this line. Mr. E. R. Kalmbach 
was detailed for this work by the Chief of the Biological Survey and 
proceeded to Salt Lake, Utah, making continuous observations there 
from May 7 to July 5, 19n. 
It is not possible at the present time to give the results of this work 
in detail, but a list of the vertebrate enemies observed attacking the 
alfalfa weevil will be found under the heading Natural Enemies. 
THE INSECT NOT CORRECTLY DETERMINED. 
In the bulletin of the Utah Experiment Station, to which reference 
has already been made, the name of the insect is given as Phytonomus 
murinus Fab., and this name was also applied to the same insect by 
the writer in Circular No. 137 of the Bureau of Entomology, issued 
April 20, 19 n. It had been so determined by one of the best 
American authorities on this order of insects. It has, however, 
proved to be a closely related insect {Phytonomus ijosticus GylL), 
much more common and injurious to alfalfa in Europe, western 
Asia, and northern Africa, and in these countries known generally as 
P. variabilis Hbst., meaning literally the variable Phytonomus. It 
is, however, less destructive in the Eastern Hemisphere than it bids 
fair to be in this country, because of its natural enemies at home, 
which, as it appears, were not brought over with it when it was first 
introduced. 
APPEARANCE OF A SECOND SPECIES IN UTAH. 
A much larger species, Hypera punctata Fab. (fig. 2), the clover- 
leaf weevil, has recently been found about Malad, Idaho, by Mr. 
H. T. Osborn, and about Ogden, Utah, by Mr. E. J. Vosler, both 
of this bureau. This is a larger insect than the alfalfa weevil, but 
may be confused mth it by the ordinary farmer. It had not before 
been observed between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades. 
While known as a clover insect, this last beetle did some damage 
to alfalfa in Virginia during June, 1910. 
DESCRIPTION AND SEASONAL HISTORY OF THE ALFALFA WEEVIL. 
The fully-developed alfalfa weevil, PJiytonomus posticus Gyll. (fig. 1), 
is a small, rather insignificant appearing beetle, slightly under one- 
fourth of an inch long, of a brown color, mixed with gray and black 
hairs arranged in indistinct spots and stripes on the back, as shown 
in figure 1. Rubbed incUviduals may be very dark, verging on black, 
