The Pine Cockchafer 



my own country-side, the subterranean or 

 double-fruited vetch (Vicia amphlcarpos, 

 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- 

 monosse. 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 ^ve millimetres^ 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 



