84 
COLEOPTERA. 
fest grain. I am not aware that these weevils attack wheat 
in New England; but I have seen stored Southern corn 
swarming with them ; and, should they multiply and extend 
in this section of the country, they will become a source 
of serious injury to one of the most valuable of our staple 
productions. It is said that this weevil lays its eggs on the 
rice in the fields, as soon as the grain begins to swell. If 
this indeed be true, we have very little to fear from it here, 
our Indian corn being so well protected by the husks that it 
would probably escape from any injury, if attacked. On 
the contrary, if the insects multiply in stored grain, then 
our. utmost care will be necessary to prevent them from 
infesting our own garners. The parent beetle bores a hole 
into the grain, and drops therein a single egg, going from 
one grain to another till all her eggs are laid. She then 
dies, leaving, however, the rice well seeded for a future 
harvest of weevil-grubs. In due time the eggs are hatched, 
the grubs live securely and unseen in the centre of the 
rice, devouring a considerable portion of its substance, and 
when fully grown they gnaw a little hole through the end 
of the grain, artfully stopping it up again with particles of 
rice-flour, and then are changed to pupae. This usually 
occurs during the winter; and in the following spring the 
insects are transformed to beetles, and come out of the 
grain. By winnowing and sifting the rice in the spring, 
the beetles can be separated, and then should be gathered 
immediately and destroyed. 
The sudden change of the temperature that generally 
occurs in the early part of May, brings out great numbers 
of insects from their winter quarters, to enjoy the sunshine 
and the ardent heat which are congenial to their natures. 
While a continued hum is heard, among the branches of 
the trees, from thousands of bees and flies, drawn thither 
by the fragrance of the bursting buds and the tender foliage, 
and the very ground beneath our feet seems teeming with 
insect life, swarms of little beetles of various kinds come 
