THE ELEPHANT-BEETLE 245 



eyes and their attention. After eight hours — eight inter- 

 minable hours, when it was nearly night, the sentinel 

 on the watch calls me. The insect appears to have 

 finished. She does, in fact, very cautiously withdraw 

 her beak, as though fearing to slip. Once the tool is 

 withdrawn she holds it pointing directly in front of her. 



The moment has come. . . . Alas, no ! Once more I 

 am cheated ; my eight hours of observation have been 

 fruitless. The Balaninus decamps ; abandons her acorn 

 without laying her eggs. I was certainly right to dis- 

 trust the result of observation in the open woods. Such 

 concentration among the oaks, exposed to the sun, wind, 

 and rain would have been an intolerable task. 



During the whole of October, with the aid of such 

 helpers as are needed, I remark a number of borings, 

 not followed by the laying of eggs. The duration of the 

 observer's task varies greatly. It usually amounts to a 

 couple of hours ; sometimes it exceeds half the day. 



With what object are these perforations made, so 

 laborious and yet so often unused ? Let us first of all 

 discover the position of the egg, and the first mouthfuls 

 taken by the grub, and perhaps the reply will be found. 



The peopled acorns remain on the oak, held in their cups 

 as though nothing had occurred to the detriment of the 

 cotyledons. With a little attention they may be readily 

 recognised. Not far from the cup, on the smooth, still 

 green envelope of the acorn a little point is visible ; a 

 tiny needle-prick. A narrow brown aureole, the product 

 of mortification, is not long in appearing. This marks 

 the opening of the hole. Sometimes, but more rarely, 

 the hole is drilled through the cup itself. 



Let us select those acorns which have been recently 



