740 FIFTH REPORT OP THE ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
dependi apoo the healthy growth of its leading shoot for ■ long succession of years. 
It* this leading shoot is destroyed the onward growth of the tree is checked until 
one of the lateral snoots starts upward and becomes the leading shoot. Hut this 
pauses s orook in the body of I he t ree at I he place where tin-, latter shoot originally 
arose, and thus the main value of the tree is destroyed. And it would appear to be 
a spirit of pun- malevolence that instigates the white-pine weevil to select the lead- 
ing Bhoot Of this tree iu which to deposit its eggs, when its young can he nourished 
equally well in the lateral Bhoots, where they would do little injury, or perhaps 
would be a direct benefit to the tree by cutting off the ends of the branches, and 
thus promoting the upward growth of the main trunk. 
The tree that is attacked continues its growth upward during the tore part of the 
season ;h usual, sending out from the summit of the shoot that is infested a leading 
shoot, with a DUOlber of lateral branches around its base. Hut the growth of these 
new succulent twigs is arrested, and they begin to wilt and wither about the middle 
of July, the worms haying by this time become so large and mined and wounded the 
stalk below to such an extent that its juices are exhausted, and it fails to transmit 
any nourishment to these tender green shoots at the summit, which consequently dry 
up and perish. 
If the affected shoot be now examined, little oval cells about <».3U long, placed 
lengthwise of the stalk, will be discovered all along its center, so close in some places 
that their ends are iu contact, and in other places more or less widely separated, 
with the intervening space stuffed with sawdust, whilst here and there in the wood 
on each side of the pith similar cells show themselves. In each of these cavities lies 
a white glos y worm, its body soft, plump, and curved into an arch, 0.30 long, and 
not quite a third as broad ar its anterior part where it is broadest. 
This larva is divided by transverse constrictions into thirteen segments, including 
the head, with the breathing pores forming a row of small round tawny yellow dots 
along each side. Its head is about half the width of the body, round, flattened, pol- 
ished and horn like, tawny yellow, with an impressed line along its middle, a faint 
whitish line ou each side parallel with this, and a more distinct trausverse arched 
white line anteriorly, and a minute black dot on each side representing the eye: the 
mouth darker colored, with the points of the maudibles slightly projecting, these 
organs being black, triangular, and with exceedingly minute sharp teeth along their 
inner edge. The neck has two smooth pale tawny-yellow spots above. It has no 
feet, but their places are supplied by roundish elevations of the skin on the under 
side of the three segments next to the head. The surface shows a few very fine short 
hairs, particularly on the ends. 
These larva- change to pupae and to perfect insects iu their cells, the latter coming 
abroad mostly early in the spring. The short description at the commencement of 
this account will suffice to distinguish this weevil from all our other species. It varies 
in its length from 0.20 to 0.30. Dr. Harris thinks they are more than a year iu 
obtaining their growth, but I am quite confident the eggs deposited in the spring 
become mature beetles by the following spring or earlier. 
In midsummer, as soon as the shoot in which these insects are nestling becomes with- 
ered and dry, the thin bark covering it is commonly seen to be broken and peeled off 
in spots, or all its lower part is torn away, and newly perforated holes, larger than the 
mouths of the burrows of this insect, may be observed here and there in the wood. This 
is the work of small birds, which are very efficient aud serviceable in ferreting out 
and devouring the larva' and pupa' of this weevil. And. in addition to these, it has 
several insect enemies which aid in restraining it from becomiug excessively numer- 
ous. But notwithstanding the great inroads which are hereby made upon its ranks, 
this is quite a common insect iu every part of our State and country where the pine 
abounds, deforming these valuable trees and retarding their growth. The proprietor 
of every grove of young pines should therefore make it a rule to examine them every 
vear, in August or September, and cut or break off the top of every tree that is 
