The Pea-Weevil: The Larva 
With the bean did those ancient pioneers 
bring us, involuntarily, the insect which 
disputes its possession with us today? 
There is room for doubt; the Bruchus seems 
to be a native. I find her at least levying 
tribute on divers Leguminose of the country, 
spontaneous plants which have never tempted 
man’s appetite. She abounds in particular 
on the great broad-leaved everlasting pea 
(Lathyrus latifolius), with its magnificent 
clusters of flowers and its long and handsome 
pods. Its seeds are not large, are much 
smaller than those of our peas; but, gnawed 
to the very skin, as they always are by their 
occupants, they are each sufficient to the 
welfare of its grub. 
Note also their considerable number: I 
have counted more than twenty to the pod, 
a wealth unknown to the garden pea, even 
in its most prolific state. Thus the superb 
perennial is generally able, without much 
loss, to feed the family entrusted to its pod. 
Where the everlasting pea is lacking, the 
Bruchus none the less continues her habitual 
flux of germs on another legumen, of similar 
flavour but incapable of nourishing all the 
grubs, as for instance on the broad-podded 
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