The Elephant Weevil 
sustaining drink? Can the enterprise be a 
matter of personal nourishment ? 
I thought so at first, though I was a little 
surprised at this display of perseverance in 
view of a sip. The males taught me to 
abandon the idea. They too possess a long 
rostrum, capable of opening a well if neces- 
sary; nevertheless I never see one standing 
on an acorn and working at it with his drill. 
Why take so much trouble? A mere noth- 
ing satisfies these frugal eaters. A super- 
ficial digging with the tip of the proboscis 
into the tender leaf yields enough to main- 
tain their strength. 
If they, the idlers who have leisure to en- 
joy the delights of the table, want no more, 
how will it be with the mothers, busy with 
the laying? Have they the time to eat and 
drink? No, the pierced acorn is not a bar 
at which to lounge, sipping without end. 
That the beak, when driven into the fruit, 
levies a small mouthful is possible; but this 
scrap is certainly not the object in view. 
I seem to catch a glimpse of the real 
object. The egg, as we said, is always at 
the base of the acorn, in the midst of a sort 
of wadding moistened by the sap that oozes 
103 
