The Life of the Weevil 
accentuates the grace of the plants around it. 
By striking a harsh and dissonant note, it 
contributes to the general harmony. The 
haughty thistle is really superb, standing 
like a monument amidst the humility of the 
lavender and thyme. 
Others might see in this thicket of halberds 
a means of defence. But what has the 
fierce thistle to defend, that it should bristle 
in this way? Its seed? I doubt, indeed, 
whether the Goldfinch, the accredited 
pilferer of the Carduacez, dare set foot on 
this horrid arsenal. He would be spitted at 
once. 
A humble Weevil will do what the bird 
dares not undertake and will do it better. 
She will entrust her eggs to the white tufts; 
she will destroy the seed of the ferocious 
plant, which, were it not subjected to a severe 
thinning, would become an agricultural 
calamity. 
At the beginning of July, I cut off a well- 
flowered thistle-top; I dip the stem in a 
bottle full of water and cover my repellent 
bouquet with a wire-gauze cover, after stock- 
ing it with a dozen Weevils. The pairing 
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