The Vine-Weevil 
formation, the recluse has deemed it prudent 
to strengthen its house. With a little care, 
I am able to detach the dwelling in the form 
of a little ball the size of a pea. 
I then discover that the materials are 
cemented by means of a gummy produce 
which, liquid at the moment of its emission, 
has penetrated to a sufficient depth and 
welded the sandy grains into a wall of a 
certain thickness. This product, which is 
colourless and not very plentiful, leaves me in 
doubt as to its origin. It certainly does not 
come from glands similar to the silk-tubes 
of the caterpillars; the Weevil-grub possesses 
nothing of that kind. It is, therefore, a 
contribution from the digestive canal, pre- 
sented through either the entrance or the 
exit-door. Which of the two? 
Without completely solving the question 
of this cement, another Weevil supplies a 
fairly probable answer. This is Brachycerus 
algirus, Fas., an ugly, unwieldy insect, 
covered with little warts each ending in a 
claw-like horn. It is soot-black and almost 
always soiled with earth when you meet it in 
spring. ‘This dusty garb denotes a tunneller. 
The Brachycerus, in fact, haunts the sub- 
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