The Elephant Weevil 



sustaining drink? Can the enterprise be a 

 matter of personal nourishment? 



I thought so at first, though I was a little 

 surprised at this display of perseverance in 

 view of a sip. The males taught me to 

 abandon the idea. They too possess a long 

 rostrum, capable of opening a well if neces- 

 sary; nevertheless I never see one standing 

 on an acorn and working at it with his drill. 

 Why take so much trouble? A mere noth- 

 ing satisfies these frugal eaters. A super- 

 ficial digging with the tip of the proboscis 

 into the tender leaf yields enough to main- 

 tain their strength. 



If they, the idlers who have leisure to en- 

 joy the delights of the table, want no more, 

 how will it be with the mothers, busy with 

 the laying? Have they the time to eat and 

 drink? No, the pierced acorn is not a bar 

 at which to lounge, sipping without end. 

 That the beak, when driven into the fruit, 

 levies a small mouthful is possible; but this 

 scrap is certainly not the object in view. 



I seem to catch a glimpse of the real 



object. The egg, as we said, is always at 



the base of the acorn, in the midst of a sort 



of wadding moistened by the sap that oozes 



103 



