The Elephant Weevil 



encased in their cups as though nothing ab- 

 normal were happening to injure the seed- 

 lobes. They are easily recognized with a 

 little attention. Not far from the cup, on 

 the smooth and still green shells, a little 

 speck shows, just like the prick of a fine 

 needle. Soon it is surrounded by a narrow 

 brown ring, the result of mortification. 

 This is the mouth of the hole. At other 

 times, but less often, the opening is made 

 through the cup itself. 



We will take the acorns recently perfor- 

 ated, that is to say, those with a pale 

 puncture, not yet surrounded by the brown 

 ring which will appear in time. Shell them. 

 Several contain no foreign matter: the 

 Weevil has bored them without laying her 

 eggs in them. These represent the acorns 

 worked for hours and hours in my cages and 

 not afterwards used. Many contain an egg. 



Now, however far above the cup the 

 entrance to the pit may be, this egg is always 

 right at the bottom, at the base of the seed- 

 lobes. There is here, provided by the cup, 

 a soft, blanket-like layer which imbibes the 

 sapid exudations from the tip of the 

 peduncle, the source of nourishment. I see 



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