The Spotted Larinus 
aqueduct must be respected, if a suitable 
supply of sap is to be provided until the end. 
Accordingly, whether three or four in num- 
ber, the grubs abstain from rasping the 
surface too deeply. 
The cuts, which amount to no more than a 
judicious paring of the surface, imperil 
neither the solidity of the structure nor the 
action of the vessels, so that the blossoms, 
their plunderers notwithstanding, retain a 
very healthy appearance. They expand as 
usual, except that the pretty, blue ground is 
stained with yellow patches, which grow 
wider from day to day. At each of these 
points, a grub is established under the cover 
of the dead florets. Each blemish marks 
one diner’s seat at table. 
The florets, as we said, have for their 
common support, for their receptacle, the 
round knob surmounting the axis. It is on 
this globule that the grubs begin. They 
attack a few of the florets at their base, up- 
rooting them without injuring them and 
thrusting them upwards with a heave of the 
back. The spot thus cleared is slightly 
broken into and hollowed out and becomes 
the first refreshment-bar. 
37 
