The Life of the Weevil 
following day, through a tiny aperture which 
would hardly admit the point of a fair-sized 
needle, it has entered into the promised land 
and is in possession of the kernel. 
Another stroke of luck partly tells me the 
use of the central cone pierced chimney- 
fashion. ‘The mother, while sinking the pit 
in the flesh of the sloe, drinks the juices that 
ooze out and eats the pulp. This is the 
most direct manner of getting rid of the 
refuse without interrupting her work. 
When she is digging in the surface of the 
stone, the cup intended to receive the egg, 
she leaves in place the fine dust resulting 
from her labours, an excellent material as 
bedding for the egg but useless as food. 
And what does the maggot in its turn do 
with its sawdust as it deepens the pit in order 
to reach the kernel? To scatter the rubbish 
round about is impossible: there is no room; 
to put it away in its stomach is even less 
feasible: it cannot make its first mouthfuls 
of this dry flour while waiting for the milk- 
food of a kernel. 
The new-born grub has a better method. 
With a few heaves of its back, it thrusts 
the litter of rubbish outside, through the 
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