The Life of the Weevil 
the sap of the thistle, which oozes up from 
the roots. As long as the blue globe is on 
its stalk, very much alive, the sap ascends, 
the broached casks exude their contents and 
the grub sips the nourishing draught. But, 
once detached from the stem, cut off from its 
source of supply, the cellar runs dry. There- 
upon the larva promptly dies. This explains 
the fatal catastrophe of my attempts to rear 
it. 
All that the Larinus-larve need is to lick 
the exudations from a wound. The method 
employed is henceforth obvious. ‘The new- 
born grubs, hatched upon the central globe, 
take their places around its axis, proportion- 
ing the distance between them to the number 
of guests. Each of them. peels and slashes 
with its mandibles the part in front of it, 
causing the nutritious moisture to exude. If 
the spring dies up through healing, fresh 
bites revive it. 
But the attack is made with circumspection. 
The central column and its circular capital 
form the mainstay of the globe. If too 
extensively injured, the scaffolding would 
bend before the wind and bring down the 
dwelling. Moreover, the conduits of the 
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