The Life of the Weevil 
remains unharmed. It baffles the under- 
standing. For what reason does the 
Bruchus, who passes without hesitation from 
the excellent to the indifferent and from the 
indifferent to the excellent, disdain this 
delicious seed? She leaves the everlasting 
pea for the green pea, she leaves the green 
pea for the broad bean and the vetch, accept- 
ing the niggardly scrap and the rich cake with 
equal satisfaction; and the attractions of the 
haricot leave her uninterested. Why? 
Apparently because this legumen is 
unknown to her. The others, whether 
natives or acclimatized foreigners from the 
east, have been familiar to her for centuries; 
she tests their excellence year by year and, 
relying on the lessons of the past, she bases 
her forethought for the future upon ancient 
custom. She suspects the haricot as a new- 
comer whose merits she has still to learn. 
The insect tells us emphatically that the 
haricot is of recent date. It reached us from 
very far away, surely from the New World. 
Every edible thing attracts those whose 
business it is to make use of it. If the 
haricot had originated in the old continent, 
it would have had its licensed consumers, 
268 
