The Life of the Weevil 



idea of hygiene, I took pains to keep the 

 rations in good condition, in an atmosphere 

 free from mustiness. I ought, on the 

 contrary, to have allowed fermentation to do 

 its work, softening the tough tissues and 

 enhancing their flavour. 



Six weeks later, in the middle of June, the 

 oldest rolls are dilapidated hovels, retaining 

 scarcely a trace of their cylindrical form 

 save the outer layer, a protecting roof. Let 

 us open one of these ruins. Inside, there 

 is absolute wreck, a mixture of shapeless 

 remnants and black granules, like fine gun- 

 powder; outside, a crumbling envelope, 

 pierced here and there with holes. These 

 openings tell me that the inhabitants have 

 departed and made their way underground. 



I find them, in fact, in the layers of moist 

 sand with which the jars are provided. 

 Pushing and heaving with their backs, they 

 have each dug themselves a round hollow, 

 taking up the least possible room, in which 

 the grub, rolled into a bunch, makes ready 

 for its new life. 



Though formed of sandy particles, the 

 wall of the cell does not threaten to collapse. 

 Before lapsing into the sleep of the trans- 

 168 



