The Cionus 
We see the grub’s little black head rising 
and falling, swerving this way and that and 
from time to time gathering with its mandi- 
bles, at the door of the intestine, a particle 
of cement, which is instantly placed in 
position and meticulously smoothed. So the 
interior of the hut is plastered, point after 
point, by small touches. Lest I should not 
see clearly through the wall, I cut off the top 
of a bladder, partly uncovering the larva. 
The work is continued without much hes- 
itation. The strange method is revealed 
as plainly as one could wish. The grub 
makes use of its behind as a store of con- 
solidating cement; the end of the intestine 
serves as the equivalent of the hod from 
which the bricklayer takes his trowelful of 
mortar. 
This original mode of procedure is famil- 
iar to me. At one time, a big Weevil, the 
Spotted Larinus, inhabiting the blue-headed 
globe-thistle (Echinops Ritro), enabled me to 
witness a similar method. The Larinus also 
expels its own cement. With the tips of its 
mandibles it gathers it from the evacuating 
orifice, applying it with strict economy. 
Moreover it has other materials at its dis- 
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