BROWN-LEGGED WEEVIL. 
69 
I have caught 105 Beetles round the stem of a Cob-nut tree. My 
neighbour planted 150 Briar-stocks for budding Roses on ; they have 
eaten every bud out of the stocks.” 
On June 6tli Prof. Allen Harker, of the Royal Agricultural College, 
Cirencester, forwarded specimens of another species (0. tenebricosus ), 
which were then doing much harm by eating leaves of the Strawberries 
in the garden of the College Farm. This kind is about the size of the 
magnified figure of 0. pieces given, but differs in being more pointed 
at the tail, and also in being of a bright shiny black colour. 
The Weevils were in such numbers that thirty of them were 
secured in a few minutes from their daytime shelter around the 
Strawberry roots. A female that was dissected contained eggs fully 
developed. 
The habit of the Weevils mentioned in both the above communi¬ 
cations of sheltering away from the light during the day is one great 
means of keeping them in check. With regard to the Strawberry 
plants, a temporary shelter, such as pieces of boards or tiles, was 
laid along by the plants, and, on raising these, the Weevils were found 
collected in such numbers beneath, that nothing further was needed 
to clear them out, excepting sending a boy round regularly to gather 
them up and destroy them. 
In the larger scale of plantation fruit-growing it would be some 
slight expense to have them thus collected, but still this would be 
nothing to the loss from damage to the plants. It would soon be 
found what kind of shelter they preferred, and by placing some of 
this, whether slates, tiles, odd bits of thin turf, or morsels of old waste 
sacking, on the ground by the stems of the young trees, these would 
probably form excellent traps, which might be cleared daily with little 
trouble. 
Where the infested plants are large enough to admit of the Weevil 
being shaken off (when they have gone up again to feed at night) on 
to tarred boards, or anything placed below T to catch them, this plan 
answers thoroughly well. (See account of method of clearing 0. 
picipes in Raspberry grounds in Cornwall, ‘ Report of Injurious Insects,’ 
1879). Something might also be done by putting some sticky mixture 
round the base of the trunks of the young trees (see p. 5 of present 
Report). Anything would serve the purpose that would not hurt the 
bark enough to damage the health of the tree, and which, either by 
stickiness or by being obnoxious to the Weevil, would catch it fast, or 
prevent it walking over the band of smeared-on preventive. 
Tar and cart-grease mixed might do very well, for it would keep 
damp for some time, or “Davidson’s Composition” would perhaps 
answer as well for this purpose, as for catching the wingless Winter 
Moths as they creep up the tree stems, as before mentioned, 
