262 Transactions of the Boyal Society of South Africa. 
showed traces of what might be pollen, and its presence was confirmed 
later by the microscope, when eleven out of twenty examined had 
pollen still adhering to their bodies. Unfortunately the figures are not 
of much value, as for several hours all the weevils were packed together in 
the same test tube and it is possible that a transference of pollen may 
have taken place. 
I have since then found two other ovulate cones with pollen-bearing 
weevils. 
In trying to work out the life-history of this interesting insect, I have 
found that the development from egg to adult coincides exactly with the 
period that elapses between the pollination and the disintegration of the 
female cone of E. Altensteinii. In ovules up to three months old one can 
find no trace of the insect at any stage of its development, while from June 
onwards they are easy to find. The life-history appears to be as follows : 
The eggs up to a dozen are deposited by the female, possibly with the 
help of the long rostrum in the tissues of the ovule in the micropylar 
region. The grubs live at the expense of the endosperm. The adult 
emerges within a few days of the disintegration of the cone through an 
opening in the side of the testa. The adult can live for three months 
without food and only a limited supply of air, but w^here or how this 
period is spent is uncertain. When the male cones are ripe the insects 
appear in large numbers, feed on the pollen for some days, and pair. The 
females then visit the ovulate cones and once more deposit the eggs. 
The whole life-history appears so dependent on Encephalartos that 
it would be only reasonable to find that the Cycad had demanded a quid 
])ro quo and had turned the visits to use. 
While it is fairly easy to understand how^ both colour and odour attract 
these insects to the male cones it is more difficult to give an explanation of 
how they find their way to the female, but not more difficult than in the 
case of numerous other insects which seek out with unerring accuracy 
the plants which will afford the proper food for their larvae. 
Summary and Conclusion. 
E. Altensteinii grows in wooded areas, but chiefly on the more 
exposed cliffs. 
Its height enables it often to lift its cones above the surrounding 
vegetation and expose them to the action of the wind. 
At the time of coning the leaves are depressed, fully exposing the 
cones. 
No visible separation of the macrosporophylls has been observed, but 
as certain insects effect an entrance, wind-borne pollen might also do so. 
Ovules are fertilised almost equally on all sides. 
The male cone is fairly conspicuous and emits a perceptible odour. 
