Packard.] 
INSECTS OE THE FOREST. 
241 
is thrown from the tree. The successful party then takes his 
station as guard. These contests sometimes last for hours, 
and are always repeated if the proper male is defeated, 
though not often if he is successful. I think it is by mere 
‘happen so’ that the stranger passes by or runs across the 
busy couple, and if successful in routing his rival he takes 
the same care of the female as did the vanquished indi¬ 
vidual. The habits of these insects are much like those of 
the Curculio family. When disturbed they fold themselves 
up as well as they can and drop to the ground, where they 
Fig. 183. 
Oak weevil and young. 
feign death. Tliey will soon ‘come to,’ and hide beneath 
pieces of bark, stones or other rubbish, Curculio-like.” 
Another weevil, which may be found in all its stages of 
larva, pupa and adult, early in May under the bark of decay¬ 
ing oaks, is the Magdalinus olyra (Fig. 183 ; a, larva; &, 
pupa, enlarged three times. 
The most interesting and intelligent of all the borers is 
the oak Pruner (^Stenocorus putator^ Fig. 184; a, larva; 6, 
pupa lying in its hole). The beetle appears in June and 
deposits its eggs near the axilla of a leaf stalk or small 
twig, or in the bark of larger branches. The grub hatches, 
and sinks into the centre of the twig. Now comes the 
strange part of its history, in which' this grub evinces a 
most unusual trait in these boring insects. When half 
grown it nearly cuts the branch off. It then withdraws 
10 17 
