natural history. 
2 I 1 
rides or Spanifh Hy to (hew in what it Is dif- 
ferent from a preceding genus, called the 
cantharis, for which it is frequently miftak- 
en. 
C U R C U L I O, or W E E V E L. 
' HIS infeft feeds upon corn, theinfideof 
which it cats, and leaves the bran. In this 
tribe, nature difpenfes the riches of her 
mod refulgent colours, fo as to dazzle the 
eye with fplendor. But it is the microfcope 
that muft admit us to this fcene of fuperla- 
tive beauty. 
The curculio regalis found in Peru Is a 
wonderful inftance of the beauty nature can 
bellow on even what is generally deemed the 
mod inconfiderable of her products. 
The larvae, refembling oblong, foft \Vorms, 
are greatly dreaded for the injury they do in 
granaries. Corn-lofts are frequently laid 
M'afte by their ravages. The inledt, having 
remained within the grain until it hasdevour- 
ed the meal, lies ooncealed under the empty 
hulk, until it pafles its aurelian date, and 
takes its flight as a curculio. While one 
fpeciesfecd on corn, others dedroy, in the 
fame manner, beans, peas, and lentils. To 
difeover the grain infeded by the larvae, it 
is thrown into water, when that part which 
fwiins is certainly perforated by the curcu* 
liones. 
