4 80 C U R 
There they grow at leifure, enlarging their dwelling- 
place at the expence of the meal, on which they feed. 
Corn-lofts are often laid waffe by thefe infefts, whofe 
numbers are fometimes fo great as to dellroy all the corn. 
When the inf eft is come to its full lize, it remains 
within the grain, hidden under the empty hulk, which 
fnblills alone ; and there transformed, it becomes a chry- 
f dis ; nor does it leave this abode till it becomes a per- 
feft infect, as reprefented in the plate, making its way 
through the hulk of the grain. It is no eafy matter to 
difeover by the eye the grains of corn thus hollowed out 
by thefe infefts, as they outwardly appear large and full: 
but the condition the curculio has reduced them to, 
renders them much lighter; fo that if corn, infefled by 
thefe infefts, be thrown into water, all the tainted grains 
will fwim, and the good corn will fink to the bottom. 
Other larvae of curculiones are not fo fond of corn, but 
fix on feveral other feeds. Beaus, peafe, and lentils, 
that are preferved dry; are liable to be perforated by 
thefe little animals, which prey upon the inward part of 
the grain, where they take up their habitation, and do 
not come forth till they have completed their transfor¬ 
mation. Other fpecies are lodged in the infide of plants. 
The heads of artichokes and thiftles are often bored 
through, and eaten away, by the larvs; of large curcu¬ 
liones. Another fniall fpecies pierces, and inwardly 
confumes, the leaves of elms. It frequently happens 
that almoll all the leaves of an elm appear yellow, and 
as it were dead, towards one of their edges, while the 
whole remainder of the leaf is green. Upon infpefting 
thofe leaves, the dead part appears to form a kind of bag 
or fmall bladder. The two laminae or outward pellicles 
of the leaf, as well above as below, are entire, but dif- 
tnnt and feparated from each other, whilft the parenchy¬ 
ma that lies between them has been confumed by feveral 
fmall larvae of the curculio, that having been depofited 
there in the egg-fiate by the parent infeft, have made 
themfelves that dwelling. After their transformation 
they come forth, by piercing the bladder ; and being 
is thus given to a curculio that is brown, fmall, and 
luird to catch, by reafon of the niinblenefs with which 
it leaps. This property of leaping depends on the lliape 
and length of its hinder legs. 
In the annexed engraving we have given correct figures 
«f fome of the molt remarkable individuals of this ge¬ 
nus. Fig. 5, reprefents the curculio imperialis, a fcarce 
and elegant fpecies, commonly called the diamond beetle. 
The head is black, and covered with a pile, or hairs of 
a beautiful golden green, forming two longitudinal black 
fheaks, and three green ones. From this part proceeds 
a thick cylindrical beak, ftreuked with black and green ; 
the eyes are black; the anten-nae the fame, and knobbed 
at their extremities ; the thorax is golden green, with 
two broad longitudinal black lines on the top, and a nar¬ 
row green one between them; the green colour being 
thickly befet with fmall black fpots ; the elcutcheon is 
very fmall and green ; the elytra or fhells, next the 
thorax, are almoll quadrangular, narrowing to their ex¬ 
tremities, and of a golden green ; formed by a great 
number of fmall round hollow punftures, or dents, 
which are lefs on the fides and extremities than the cop, 
being regularly placed in grooves, fo as to compofe not 
lefs than eleven (trias, including the future, on each 
(hell, that are black, and make a moll beautiful contrail ; 
the abdomen is green, with-filvery rings; the legs black, 
covered with green hairs; thighs plain; the bearers 
confift of four articulations, belides the claws; the un¬ 
der part of them brown. Native of South America. 
This rich and curious infeft, when placed under the mi- 
<srofcope, dazzles the eye with more fplendid refulgence 
and brilliancy, than ten thoufand diamonds fet in gold. 
Fig. 6. Curculio apterus: the general colour is black.; 
bead (hort and round, terminating in a fmall narrow 
beak, almoll the length of the thorax ; in the middle of 
which are placed the antennae, conlifting of eight articu- 
C U R 
lations ; the firfl and lad being long, the latterknobbed ; 
eyes entirely furround the head, meeting at top and un¬ 
derneath ; the thorax is round and rough ; full of fmall 
warts or tubercles, difcoverable only by a microfcope ; 
having a pofterior margin ; the efcutcheon is fmall and 
triangular ; the elytra are llriated, full of fmall punc¬ 
tures or holes, and fupcrbly decorated with red tuber¬ 
cles, which under the microfcope have the lullre of 
vivid rubies; the thighs are fmooth ; the fore-firins are 
furnifhed with four teeth, the hinder ones with three ; 
the bearers conllft of four articulations, the. firfl long, 
and the under part of them brown. Brought from India, 
the iiland of Madagafcar, and the Cape of Good Hope. 
Fig. 7. Curculio longipes; the ground colour of 
which is a dark red brown ; head the length of the 
thorax ; terminating in a (lender beak, three-fourths of 
an inch long ; eyes black and oblong, almoll furround¬ 
ing the head ; the antennae are knobbed at their extre¬ 
mities, confiding of eight articulations, that next the 
head being nearly as long as all the reft ; the thorax is 
marked longitudinally, with four black llripes or bars; 
the elcutcheon is very narrow and triangular; elytra 
marked longways, with feveral black narrow lirise, and 
are fhorter than the abdomen by almoll three-eighths of 
an inch : all the legs are very long for the fize of the 
infeft ; the fore-ones being more fo proportionable than 
the reft; the fliin joints are armed with lharp fpines like 
hooks, thofe of the fore legs longer than the reft ; the 
bearers confifl of four articulations, befides the claws. 
It inhabits the Cape of Hope, and Madagafcar. Thelc 
three rank among the largeft of the genus. 
Fig. 8. The granary curculio, or weevil, fomewhat 
larger than nature; and fig. 9, the curculio that infefts 
peafe and beans. Whenever thefe injurious fpecies arc 
difeovered, the granary fhould immediately be ftrewed 
all over with boughs of elder or henbane, which will de- 
ftroy them. Fig. 10, the curculio ovalis, decorated with 
cream-coloured oval fpots, on a dark ferruginous ground; 
native of Europe. Fig. n, the miliaris, of a golden 
bronze colour; thorax and elytra decorated with "nume¬ 
rous black tubercles: brought from Cayenne. Fig. 12, 
the fame infeft on wing. Fig. 13. the aequatus, head 
black, elytra red ; native of Germany. Fig. 14, the ar- 
gentatus, native of England, covered entirely with fil- 
very-green Ihining feales, and found in May and June on 
the birch and alder trees. Fig. 15, the nucum, native 
of England ; head and wing-cafes beautifully marbled 
with red and yellow : found chiefly on the corylus or 
hazel-nut tree. Fig. 16, the aurifer, of a dark chefnut- 
ground colour; efcutcheon bright green; wing-cafes ex¬ 
tending very low down the fides, and terminating in a 
point, like the end of a boat inverted, being double mar¬ 
gined, and ornamented with four longitudinal gold-green 
llripes: native of the Weft Indies and America. Fig. 17, 
the anguftatus, a native of England; of a black and 
bronze colour; elytra obtufe and minutely punftured. 
Fig. 18, the nebulofus, of a yellovvilh hoary colour, the 
elytra or wing-cafes decorated with oblique black bands; 
it inhabits Europe, and is found in England. Fig. 19, 
the inuricatus, yellowifh brown, the wing-cafes pileous, 
grooved, and muricated with numerous warts or tuber¬ 
cles : found in different parts of Europe. Fig. 20, the 
verrucofus, all over black, except a conic band of bronze 
on the thorax and back ; the wing-cafes are deeply groov¬ 
ed, decorated all over with tubercles or warts : native of 
South America. Fig. ai, the cinnamomi, entirely of a 
cinnamon colour; native of India. Fig. 22, the coryli, 
a fmall fpecies, variegated with cinereous and brown : 
native of England. Fig. 23, the venuftus, brown, with 
black llripes on the elytra : a native likewife of England. 
CURCU'M A, J. [from the Arabic name curcutn, or 
hcrcum.~\ In botany, the herb Turmeric ; a genus of the 
clafs monandria, order monogynia, natural order fcita- 
mineae. The generic charafters are — Calyx: perian- 
thium fuperior, obfeure. Corolla : tube of the petal 
narrow 3 
