5s

PLATE CXXLFIG. III. IV.

CURCULIO PYRI.

SPECIFIC CHAR ACT ER,

AND

STNONTMS.

Snout short. Thighs dentated. General colour bronze change'able to yellow red, brown, green, &c. Shells striated and punctured*

Curculio Pyri. brevirostris femoribus dentatis æneo fuscus.

Linn. Syft. Nat. 2 . 615. 72.

Fn. Sv. 623.

1 Curculio brevirostris, antennis fractis rufis, corpore oblongo sene®nitido, pedibus rufis *. Degeer Inf. 5. 246. 34.Curculio viridis opacus, pedibus antennifque magis fuscis. Linn.Scan. 355.

It has been suspected by some Entomologists , that this Insect shouldonly be considered as a variety of Curculio Argentatus. Much of it*beautiful appearance depends on the time we take it in; when si $hatched its colours are very rich and highly glossed with gold, but lsgradually becomes dirty brown, or almost black.

The cause of this alteration in its appearance is easily perceivedby the microscope; the first, or ground colour is dark brown, butis entirely covered with oblong scales of various beautiful coloursparticularly of a reddish gold, or bronze, interspersed with thosegreen, and brown colour; when the Insect is first hatched, th®scales lay over each other so as to conceal the ground colour*but as they rub off^ or are otherwise injured, the brown becom eSthe general colour.-They vary also very much from red, i0

yellow

• Variat pedibus rufis etnigris. Tab. Sfec. Inf. 1. 198. 217.