C02 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW YORK 
much overlooked in this fruit. This mark is cut by the jaws of the insect, 
which are exceedingly small and are placed in the end of the long beak or 
trunk of which we have spoken. And in addition to this crescent-shaped 
slit, the Curculio wounds the fruit by drilling holes therein with its beak, 
resembling punctures made by a coarse pin or needle. One or more of 
these punctures may be seen upon almost every fruit which it invades. It 
is probably for feeding upon the juicy pulp of the fruit that the insect bores 
these small holes in it; and even where no crescent-shaped slit occurs, 
these perforations may be noticed, causing hard nurly dents to be formed 
in the fruit which would otherwise be smooth and fair. 
Usually only one of these crescent marks is made upon a plum or apple, 
though sometimes two, three or more may be found. A single egg is drop¬ 
ped in each of these curved slits, and with its beak the insect crowds the 
egg deeply in to the bottom of the wound. From this egg a small white worm 
or grub hatches, which is destitute of feet, like the larvae of all the other 
weevils, and is about four times as long as broad, being thickest in its 
middle, and with a small, shining, brownish yellow head. This worm 
penetrates inward to the core of the young fruit, and there feeds around 
the stone or seeds, excavating quite a large cavity, which is partly filled 
with small brown grains, the castings of the worm. 
From the attack of this worm, the plum, the apple, the pear and peach, 
wilt and fall to the ground, whilst the cherry and thorn-apple do not wither 
but continue to grow and ripen, though so wounded, knotty and deformed, 
that the fruit is worthless. 
And here let us pause for a moment, to notice one of those curious para¬ 
doxes, with which the student in the works of nature is so frequently 
meeting. 
A person, on being informed that of the two stone fruits, the plum and 
the cherry, the one perishes and the other lives—of the two pomaceous 
fruits, the apple and the thorn-apple, the one perishes and the other lives, 
when invaded by this worm—I say, a person, on being informed of these 
facts, would at once say, it is the smaller of these fruits, it is the cherry 
and thorn-apple, that wither and die when attacked by this worm, whilst 
the larger fruits, the plum and apple, will feel the same injury less, and 
will survive the wounds that kill the smaller fruits. But lo ! exactly the 
reverse of this is the fact. It is the small cherry and thorn-apple that live 
and ripen on their stems ; it is the large plum and apple, and also the peach 
and pear that wither and fall from the tree ! And on coming to consider 
this anomaly more fully, we clearly perceive that it is necessary that these 
things should be ordered and arranged just as we find them to be. The 
quantity of pulpy substance in the larger fruits is sufficient to feed the 
worm within them, till it reaches maturity ; whereas, should the smaller 
fruits wither in the same manner, the worm within them would die. It is, 
therefore, necessary that they should continue to grow, to elaborate the 
amount of sustenance which the worm requires to bring it to maturity. 
But why it is that in these several fruits effects so dissimilar result from the 
