The Life of the Weevil 
Each for himself: such is the savage and 
bestial law, even in a nutshell. 
The dwelling is a perfectly continuous 
fortification, without a joint or fissure for an 
invader to slip through. The walnut-tree 
forms the shell of its fruit out of two halves 
joined together, with a line of least resistance 
left between them; the hazel makes its kegs 
with a single stave, curved into an arch that 
is equally strong at all points. How did the 
grub of the Balaninus obtain access to this 
fortress? 
On the surface, smooth as polished marble, 
the eye perceives nothing to explain the 
entrance of an exploiter from without. One 
can picture the surprise and the artless ima- 
ginings of those who first remarked the 
peculiar contents of the intact nut, without 
any sort of opening to it. The plump mag- 
got, living inside it, could not be an alien. 
It was therefore born of the fruit itself, 
under the influence of an unlucky moon. It 
was a child of putrefaction hatched by a mist. 
A faithful custodian of the ancient beliefs, 
the peasant of to-day always attributes mag- 
goty nuts and other fruits spoiled by insects 
to the moon and a passing miasma. And 
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