The Life of the Weevil 
that the acorn has not been appropriated. 
The Weevil, beyond a doubt, obtains her 
information in the same manner. 
I see things from a height, with a com- 
prehensive glance, assisted if need be by the 
magnifying-glass. I turn the object for a 
moment in my fingers; and my inspection is 
over. The Weevil, investigating at close 
quarters, is obliged to point her microscope 
more or less everywhere before detecting 
the tell-tale speck with certainty. More- 
over, the welfare of her family compels her 
to make a far more scrupulous search than 
that prompted by my curiosity. This is why 
her examination of the acorn is so excess- 
ively protracted. 
It is done: the acorn is accepted as a good 
one. The drill is driven in and kept working 
for hours; then, very often, the insect goes 
away, despising her work. The laying of 
the egg does not follow on the boring. 
What is the object of so great and so long 
an effort? Can the Weevil simply be 
piercing the fruit to satisfy her appetite and 
obtain refreshment? Can the reed-like beak 
go down to the depths of the barrel to draw, 
from the likeliest spots, a few mouthfuls of 
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