The Pine Cockchafer 



my own country-side, the subterranean or 

 double-fruited vetch (Vicia amphicarpos, 

 DORTH.), which produces two sorts of pods, 

 the first above ground, containing numerous 

 seeds, the second under the surface, contain- 

 ing large seeds, usually no more than two in 

 number. For that matter the two kinds are 

 equal in value and give a similar yield. 



Let the soil be moistened and everything 

 is ready for the germination; the preliminary 

 sowing has been done by the vetch and the 

 arachis themselves. Here the plant vies 

 with the animal in maternal cares : the Pine- 

 chafer does no more than the two Legu- 

 monosae. She sows in the ground and that is 

 all, absolutely all. How far removed we 

 are from the Minotaur, so careful of her 

 family! 



The eggs, ovoids blunted at either end, 

 measure four to five millimetres 1 in length. 

 They are a dull white, firm to the touch, as 

 though supplied with a chalky shell copied 

 from that of a Hen's egg. This appearance 

 is deceptive: what remains after the hatch- 

 ing is a delicate, flexible, translucent mem- 

 brane. The chalky look is due to the con- 



1 .156 to .195 inch. Translator's Note. 

 211 



