THE WEEVILS. 
59 
joint inclusive ; the thorax is longer than wide, rounded be- 
fore, convex above, and deeply indented on each side of the 
base ; the wing-covers are convex, gradually taper behind, 
and do not cover the tip of the abdomen ; the under-side of 
the body, and the legs, are brownish red. Its length is from 
four to six tenths of an inch. This insect was unknown to 
Mr. Say, and does not seem to have been described before. 
The generical name Hylecoetus , given to some insects of 
this family, means a sleeper in the woods, or one who makes 
his bed in the forest. We have one hitherto undescribed 
species, which may he called Hylecoetus Americanus , the 
American timber-beetle. Its head, thorax, abdomen, and 
legs are light brownish red ; the wing-covers, except at the 
base, where they are also red, and the breast, between the 
middle and hindmost legs, are black. The head is not bowed 
down under the fore part of the thorax ; the eyes are small 
and black, and on the middle of the forehead there is one 
small reddish eyelet, a character unusual among beetles, very 
few of which have eyelets ; the antennaj resemble those of 
Lymexylon sericeum, but are shorter ; the thorax is nearly 
square, hut wider than long ; and on each wing-cover there 
are three slightly elevated longitudinal lines or ribs. This 
beetle is about four tenths of an inch long. It appears on 
the wing in July. 
The foregoing beetles, though differing much in form and 
habits, possess one character in common ; namely, their feet 
are five-jointed. Those that follow have four-jointed feet. 
In this great section of Coleopterous insects are arranged 
the Weevil tribe, the Capricorn beetles or long-horned bor- 
ers, and various kinds of leaf-eating beetles, all of which are 
exceedingly injurious to vegetation. 
So great is the extent of the Weevil tribe,* and so imper- 
fectly known is the history of a large part of our native 
* See page 21. 
