60 
COLEOPTEKA. 
species, that I shall be obliged to confine myself to an ac- 
count of a few only of the most remarkable weevils, and 
principally those that have become most known for their 
depredations. Mr. Kollar’s excellent “ Treatise on Insects 
injurious to Gardeners, Foresters, and Farmers,” contains 
an account of several kinds of weevils that are unknown 
in this country ; and indeed but few resembling them have 
hitherto been discovered here. Should future observations 
lead to the detection in our gardens and orchards of any 
like those which in Europe attack the vine, the plum, the 
apple, the pear, and the leaves and stems of fruit-trees, the 
work of Mr. Kollar may be consulted with great advantage. 
Weevils, in the winged state, are hard-shelled beetles, and 
are distinguished from other insects by having the fore part 
of the head prolonged into a broad muzzle or a longer and 
more slender snout, in the end of which the opening of the 
mouth and the small horny jaws are placed. The flies and 
moths produced from certain young insects, called weevils 
by mistake, do not possess these characters, and their larvae 
or young differ essentially from those of the true weevils. 
The latter belong to a group called Rhynchophorid.®:, lit- 
erally, snout-bearers. These beetles are mostly of small size. 
Their antennae are usually knobbed at the end, and are 
situated on the muzzle or snout, on each side of which there 
is generally a short groove to receive the base of the antennae 
when the latter are turned backwards. Their feelers arc 
very small, and, in most kinds, are concealed within the 
mouth. The abdomen is often of an oval form, and wider 
than the thorax. The legs are short, not fitted for run- 
nino- or dissine, and the soles of the feet are short and 
flattened. These beetles are often very hurtful to plants, 
by boring into the leaves, bark, buds, fruit, and seeds, and 
feeding upon the soft substance therein contained. They 
are diurnal insects, and love to come out of their retreats 
and enjoy the sunshine. Some of them fly well ; but others 
have no wings, or only very short ones, under the wing- 
