The Cionus 
such abundance? Allowing for the small 
number of seeds required to maintain the 
species in a thriving state, it is evident that 
the mullein is a hoarder of nutritive atoms; 
it creates foodstuffs; it summons guests to its 
opulent banquet. 
Knowing these facts, the Gymnetron, from 
May onwards, visits the luxuriant flower- 
spike and there installs her grubs. The in- 
habited capsules may be recognized by the 
brown speck at their base. This is the hole 
bored by the mother’s rostrum, the aperture 
needed for inserting the eggs. Usually there 
are two, corresponding with the two cells of 
the fruit. Soon the oozings from the cell 
set hard and dry and obstruct the tiny win- 
dow; and the capsule is closed again, without 
any communication with the outer world. 
In June and July, let us open the shells 
marked with brown specks. Nearly always 
we find two grubs, looking fat as butter, 
with their fore-parts swollen and their hinder 
parts shrunken and curved like a comma. 
Not a vestige of legs, which members would 
be very useless in such a lodging. Lying at 
its ease, the grub has plenty of food ready 
to its mouth: first the tender, sugary seeds; 
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