The Elephant Weevil 
encased in their cups as though nothing ab- 
normal were happening to injure the seed- 
lobes. They are easily recognized with a 
little attention. Not far from the cup, on 
the smooth and still green shells, a little 
speck shows, just like the prick of a fine 
needle. Soon it is surrounded by a narrow 
brown ring, the result of mortification. 
This is the mouth of the hole. At other 
times, but less often, the opening is made 
through the cup itself. 
We will take the acorns recently perfor- 
ated, that is to say, those with a pale 
puncture, not yet surrounded by the brown 
ring which will appear in time. Shell them. 
Several contain no foreign matter: the 
Weevil has bored them without laying her 
eggs in them. These represent the acorns 
worked for hours and hours in my cages and 
not afterwards used. Many contain an egg. 
Now, however far above the cup the 
entrance to the pit may be, this egg is always 
right at the bottom, at the base of the seed- 
lobes. There is here, provided by the cup, 
a soft, blanket-like layer which imbibes the 
sapid exudations from the tip of the 
peduncle, the source of nourishment. I see 
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