The Cionus 



such abundance? Allowing for the small 

 number of seeds required to maintain the 

 species in a thriving state, it is evident that 

 the mullein is a hoarder of nutritive atoms; 

 it creates foodstuffs; it summons guests to its 

 opulent banquet. 



Knowing these facts, the Gymnetron, from 

 May onwards, visits the luxuriant flower- 

 spike and there installs her grubs. The in- 

 habited capsules may be recognized by the 

 brown speck at their base. This is the hole 

 bored by the mother's rostrum, the aperture 

 needed for inserting the eggs. Usually there 

 are two, corresponding with the two cells of 

 the fruit. Soon the oozings from the cell 

 set hard and dry and obstruct the tiny win- 

 dow; and the capsule is closed again, without 

 any communication with the outer world. 



In June and July, let us open the shells 

 marked with brown specks. Nearly always 

 we find two grubs, looking fat as butter, 

 with their fore-parts swollen and their hinder 

 parts shrunken and curved like a comma. 

 Not a vestige of legs, which members would 

 be very useless in such a lodjring. Lying at 

 its ease, the grub has plenty of food ready 

 to its mouth: first the tender, sugary seeds; 



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