The Life of the Weevil 



horned Beetle does nothing but mount his 

 mate, who, gripped by her rider, wanders at 

 will and, with the point of her oviscapt, se- 

 lects the fissures in the bark best-suited to 

 receive the eggs. 



At long intervals, the Cerambyx steps off 

 and goes to refresh himself on a piece of 

 pear. Then suddenly he stamps his feet as 

 though he had gone mad; he returns with a 

 frantic rush, clambers into the saddle and 

 resumes his seat, of which he makes free 

 use at all hours of the night and day. At 

 the moment when the egg is being placed 

 in position, he keeps quiet; with his hairy 

 tongue he polishes the egg-layer's back, which 

 is a Capricorn's way of caressing; but the 

 next instant he renews his attempts, which 

 are usually followed by success. There is 

 no end to it! 



The pairing continues in this manner for 

 a month; it does not cease until the ovaries 

 are exhausted. Then, mutually worn out, 

 having no further business on the trunk of 

 the oak, husband and wife separate, languish 

 for a few days and die. 



What conclusion are we to draw from this 

 extraordinary persistency in the Cerambyx, 

 156 



