The Life of the Weevil 



within and coated in every part with the 

 intestinal glue, which becomes a lustrous red- 

 dish material, like a shellac varnish. The 

 castle-keep measures one and a half centi- 

 metres in height.^ 



Towards the end of August most of the 

 recluses are in the perfect state. Many have 

 even burst the vaulted ceiling of their home; 

 rostrum in air, they investigate the weather, 

 awaiting the hour of departure. The 

 cardoon-head by this time is quite dry upon 

 its withered stalk. Let us strip it of its 

 scales and, with a pair of scissors, clip its 

 fur as closely as possible. 



The result thus obtained is truly curious. 

 It is a sort of convex brush, pierced here and 

 there with deep cavities wide eoiough to 

 admit an ordinary lead-pencil. The sides 

 consist of a reddish-brown wall covered with 

 incrustations of hairy debris. Each of these 

 cavities is the cell of an adult Larinus. At 

 first sight one would take the thing for the 

 comb of some extraordinary Wasps'-nest. 



Let us mention a fourth member of the 

 same group. This is the Spangled Larinus 

 (L. conspersus, Sch.), smaller in size than 



1.585 inch. — Translator's Note. 

 66 



