CHAPTER V 



THE ELEPHANT WEEVIL 



OOME of our machines have odd-looking 

 parts which seem inexplicable so long as 

 they are seen in repose. But wait until the 

 whole is set in motion, when the uncouth 

 contrivance, with its gear-wheels biting and 

 its jointed rods opening and closing, will 

 reveal an ingenious combination wherein 

 everything is cunningly arranged in view of 

 the effects to be obtained. It is the same 

 with various Weevils, notably the Balanini,^ 

 who, as their name tells us, are charged 

 with the exploitation of acorns, nuts and 

 other, similar fruits. 



The most remarkable in my part of the 

 country is the Elephant Weevil, or Acorn- 

 weevil {Balaninus elephas, ScH.). What 

 a well-named insect ! Its title is a picture in 

 itself. It is a living caricature, with its pro- 

 digious pipe-stem, no thicker than a horse- 



1 From the Latin balanus, an acorn. — Translator's Note, 

 88 



