The Life of the Weevil 



and the generous cigar is thick enough to 

 retain in its central part, far better than the 

 slender barrel does, a little of the moisture 

 indispensable to the grub. In respect of 

 prolonged abstinence, the Vine-Weevil can- 

 not be compared with the barrel-maker; still 

 less can the Poplar-Weevil. For this last, 

 more often than otherwise, there is no 

 danger from drought, despite the smallness 

 of the cylinder, a sorry rat's-tail. This roll 

 usually falls by the side of a ditch, on the 

 moist soil of the meadows. The exploiter 

 of the alder is hardly in danger either: at the 

 foot of her tree, a lover of the trickling 

 brooks, she finds the coolness needed to keep 

 her food-cylinder in good condition. But, 

 when she exploits the hazel-bush, I do not 

 know what conditions help her out of her 

 difficulty. 



Lately the newspapers, which noisily echo 

 every piece of absurdity, have been making 

 a certain fuss about the gastric feats of a 

 few poor devils who, to earn their bread, 

 have fasted for thirty or forty days. As in 

 most stunts, admirers were found, ready 

 to encourage those wretched competitions. 

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