The Vine-Weevil 



formation, the recluse has deemed it prudent 

 to strengthen its house. With a little care, 

 I am able to detach the dwelling in the form 

 of a little ball the size of a pea. 



I then discover that the materials are 

 cemented by means of a gummy produce 

 which, liquid at the moment of its emission, 

 has penetrated to a sufficient depth and 

 welded the sandy grains into a wall of a 

 certain thickness. This product, which is 

 colourless and not very plentiful, leaves me in 

 doubt as to its origin. It certainly does not 

 come from glands similar to the silk-tubes 

 of the caterpillars ; the Weevil-grub possesses 

 nothing of that kind. It is, therefore, a 

 contribution from the digestive canal, pre- 

 sented through either the entrance or the 

 exit-door. Which of the two? 



Without completely solving the question 

 of this cement, another Weevil supplies a 

 fairly probable answer. This is Brachycerus 

 algirus, FAB., an ugly, unwieldy insect, 

 covered with little warts each ending in a 

 claw-like horn. It is soot-black and almost 

 always soiled with earth when you meet it in 

 spring. This dusty garb denotes a tunneller. 



The Brachycerus, in fact, haunts the sub- 

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