( i8 ) 



had ever been. Bcfides, the fliip, M'agjgon, or cart, employed to 

 carry corn, may be iiifcdted with Weev.ls, by having carried grain 

 in whicli they abound, and thus from a fcv/ of thefe in!'c61:s, multi- 

 tudes may be produced by the ordinary courle of generation. 



But in order fully to invefligate the truth of this.Idefircd the per- 

 fons who had argued this matter with me, to bring me the lirft 

 Weevils tliev themfeives fhould find, (it beinsr then the winter fea- 

 fon) ; and on the 13th of Marcli, I received forae grains of wheat, 

 (manv of which had the infides eaten away) mixed witli Weevils. 



I took three glafies, in each of which I put fix, eiglit, or nine 

 Weevils, and eiglit, ten, or twelve grains of wheat, which wheat 

 I was tlie more aflured could not be infected, becaufG'it had been 

 kept for feveral months, clofely covered up, in my Ihidy. In a fourtli 

 glafs I put fome Weevils without any wheat, but this l^ft mode of 

 experiment I afterwards rejefled, obferving that in. the Ipace of 

 twelve days they all died. As to the other three glades, the weather 

 being cold, and, obferving the animals, for tlie mod part, to lie 

 motionlefs, I put them into a leatiier cafe, which I always carried 

 about me. And I had no doubt, but I fliould clearly prove to all, 

 that the Weevil proceeds from a maggot, for which reafon 1 fre- 

 quently examined tiiefe objeils by the microfcope. 



I, atfirft, entertained an opinion, that the Weevil, like, the Silk- 

 worm's moth, and many other infe61:s, did not, while in that fliape, 

 take any food : but herein I found myfelf mifraken, and obfervcd 

 that the Weevil not only feeds upon wheat, but that it can excavate 

 or fcoop out the whole contents of every grain, and creep about in 

 the infide, being provided with a beak, or trunk of a great length, in 

 proportion to the fize of its body, at the extremity of which are cer- 

 tain exceedingly fmall organs, or inftruments like teeth, and with 

 thefe it can bore or pierce through the outward hufk or ihell of the 

 wheat, and thus open to itfelf a paffage to devour the contents. 



At a fortnight's end, namely, on the 27th of March, I obfcrved 



