The Elephant Weevil 



of the basin, to try its contents before be- 

 queathing them to her son. If the food is 

 considered satisfactory, the egg is laid; if 

 not, the boring is abandoned without more 

 ado. This explains the perforations of 

 which no advantage is taken after much 

 laborious work. The soft bread at the 

 bottom, carefully tested, was not found to be 

 in the required condition. How particular, 

 how fastidious are these Weevils, where the 

 first mouthful of the family is concerned! 



To place the egg in a spot where the new- 

 born grub will find light, juicy, easily-digested 

 food is not enough for these far-seeing 

 mothers. Their care goes farther. An 

 intermediate diet would be useful, to lead 

 the little larva from the dainty fare of the 

 first hours to the regimen of hard bread. 

 This intermediate diet is in the gallery, the 

 work of the mother's beak. Here are 

 crumbs, particles bitten off by the shears of 

 the proboscis. Moreover, the sides of the 

 tunnel, softened by mortification, are better- 

 suited than the rest to the feeble mandibles 

 of the novice. 



Before nibbling at the seed-lobes, the grub 

 does in fact embark upon this tunnel. It 

 105 



