280 
NUT WEEVIL. 
which season he lies dormant, and in the spring 
casts his skin and becomes a chrysalis. In this 
form he continues till the month of July, when he 
emerges from the earth, to enjoy in a winged state 
the short space of time which nature has allotted 
for his existence. 
There is another species of this genus which is 
well known to the farmers for its destructive pro- 
perty. The corn weevil ( Curculio granarius, 
Linn.) is not more than the sixth of an inch in 
length, and yet it does incredible mischief among 
the grain. The damage is effected by the insect 
in the following manner : — The female perforates 
a grain of wheat, and deposits one or two eggs in 
the middle of it ; then proceeds to another, where 
she repeats the operation and passes to a third, and 
so on, till she has laid all her eggs ; which occupies 
her time for several days. After these eggs are 
hatched, which are not larger than a grain of sand, 
the larvae begin to feed upon the ear of corn, and, 
securely lodged within the husk, destroy all the 
farinaceous part before they are discovered : even 
then they do not quit their lodging; but having de- 
voured all its contents, and arrived at their full size, 
they pass through the chrysalis state in the empty 
husk, and then burst from their temporary tomb to 
lay more eggs and multiply their mischief. These 
destructive little inmates cannot be well detected, 
as they by no means injure the external appearance 
of the corn. The best test is to throw some of it 
