The Life of the Weevil 



that the acorn has not been appropriated. 

 The Weevil, beyond a doubt, obtains her 

 information in the same manner. 



I see things from a height, with a com- 

 prehensive glance, assisted if need be by the 

 magnifying-glass. I turn the object for a 

 moment in my fingers; and my inspection is 

 over. The Weevil, investigating at close 

 quarters, is obliged to point her microscope 

 more or less everywhere before detecting 

 the tell-tale speck with certainty. More- 

 over, the welfare of her family compels her 

 to make a far more scrupulous search than 

 that prompted by my curiosity. This is why 

 her examination of the acorn is so excess- 

 ively protracted. 



It is done : the acorn is accepted as a good 

 one. The drill is driven in and kept working 

 for hours; then, very often, the insect goes 

 away, despising her work. The laying of 

 the egg does not follow on the boring. 

 What is the object of so great and so long 

 an effort? Can the Weevil simply be 

 piercing the fruit to satisfy her appetite and 

 obtain refreshment? Can the reed-like beak 

 go down to the depths of the barrel to draw, 

 from the likeliest spots, a few mouthfuls of 



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