The Life of the Weevil 



powerful veins, has to occupy the outside. 

 The statics of the small-brained Weevils 

 agrees with that of the scientists. 



Watch her at work. She is standing on 

 the line along which the leaf is rolled, with 

 three legs on the part already rolled and the 

 three opposite legs on the part still free. 

 Firmly fixed on both with her claws and 

 tufts, she obtains a purchase with the legs 

 on one side while straining with the legs on 

 the other side. The two halves of the 

 machine alternate as motive powers, so that 

 at one moment the shaped cylinder en- 

 croaches on the free leaf and at another the 

 free leaf moves and is applied to the cylinder 

 already formed. 



There is nothing regular, however, about 

 these alternations, which depend upon cir- 

 cumstances known to the insect alone. 

 Perhaps they merely enable the insect to take 

 a brief rest without suspending a task which 

 does not allow of interruptions. In the 

 same way our two hands mutually relieve 

 each other by taking it in turns to carry a 

 burden. 



It is impossible to form an exact image 

 of the difficulties overcome without watching, 

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