RHYNCH0PH0RA. 
267 
both doubtless imported, and the former being known 
par excellence (or par the want of it) as the Weevil. 
Here the antennae are eight-jointed, the basal joint 
being long, and the apical one forming a large knob ; 
the rostrum is long ; the body somewhat flat ; the 
thorax very coarsely punctured, the elytra scarcely 
covering the apex of the abdomen, and deeply striated, 
and the tibiae spined at the apex. 
The “ Corn-weevil ” is small and pitchy-red in 
colour ; it boros a hole with its rostrum in the grain, 
in which it lays an egg ; the young larva afterwards 
devouring all the contents, and leaving merely the 
husk, wherein it turns to pupa. It has been observed 
that if suspected grain be thrown into water, the good 
will sink, while the iufectod seeds will float. 
The other species, distinguished by its four red 
spots, attacks rice in a similar way. 
The Gossonina have short antennae, of which the 
funiculus is seven-jointed, the basal joint long, and 
the club either two-jointed or nearly solid, so that 
there seem to be nine joints in all ; their rostrum, 
also, is somewhat deflexed ; their tibias armed at the 
apex with a stout external hook, and their tarsi 
slender. They are all distinguished by a certain 
linear, parallel, flatfish, or cylindrical habit, pre- 
eminently adapted for boring in wood, or existing 
under bark. 
Oossonus linearis (Plate XII., Fig. 5) is very local ; 
but, when found, occurs in great profusion ; as, 
indeed, is tho case with most of this family. Mesites 
Tardii, the largest, lives in the wood of ash-trees, &c., 
at Killarney, Mount Edgcumbe, aud elsewhere on the 
western coast. It has very little the aspect of an 
