Workers in Plant Tissues. 



a definite curl to the leaf is obtained. Then the 

 whole process is started all over again, this time, of 

 course, one end of the cable being attached to the 

 crest or top of the curve ; and so, slowly but surely, 

 the little insect mechanic accomplishes his task, and 

 rolls up his leaf. Once these labours are completed, 

 he disappears from view into the very heart of his 

 rolled-up leaf, there to feast in safety upon its soft 

 tissues. Broadly speaking, this is the method em- 

 ployed by all the leaf-rollers, but, as already stated, 

 the direction of the roll varies considerably. 



The little Poplar Leaf Weevil is also an expert 

 leaf-roller, but as she has no silk wherewith to hold 

 the curves in position, the task for her is a difficult 

 and laborious one. Having selected a leaf, the little 

 Beetle, with the aid of her curious snout, makes a tiny 

 hole in the stalk, not deep enough to sever it, but suffi- 

 cient to cause an injury which will upset the regular 

 flow of the sap fluids, and so cause the leaf to wilt. 

 It soon begins to droop under its own weight, until 

 it hangs straight down from the point where the Weevil 

 made the puncture, and is soon sufficiently limp and 

 plastic for her purpose. Then she takes up her stand 

 on the upper surface of the lance-shaped leaf, not at its 

 tip, but at the edge of the middle of the blade, and with 

 the aid of her small but strong claws she begins to drag 

 the edge of the leaf inwards. It is a most laborious 

 task for the little insect, and not for a moment dare 

 she relinquish her hold upon the incurving leaf, lest 

 it spring back and cause her to begin her labours all 

 over again. Therefore she does not work with great 



speed, but slowly, precisely, doggedly. Backwards 



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