122 EEVIEWS. 



In the mefQoir which we have placed at the head of this article, 

 M. Fabre devotes himself to the genus Cerceris. 



In the latter part of September, this insect, which is one of the 

 solitary wasps, begins to hollow out a sort of gallery in the earth — 

 horizontal or vertical, according to the species— and to enclose therein 

 her progeny, together with the food destined for their future support. 

 She shews herself in no wise particular as to the nature of the soil in 

 which she works, provided it be pei'fectly dry, and exposed during 

 a great part of the day to the heat of the sim. She takes ingenious 

 advantage of any projection in the ground, or bimch of weeds, under 

 the shelter of which she can pierce her gallery, and thus add as it 

 were a peristyle to her dwelling. Though the Cercerides do not form 

 themselves into communities, M. Fabre observes that they generally 

 choose to live near each other, and the nests lie close together, to 

 the number of eight or ten. It is curious to watch the labours of 

 these insects in forming their habitations, and the patience with 

 which they drag up successive heavy loads of sand, and eject it from 

 the entrance of their holes. The sight of their tiny jets of sand 

 constantly recurring attracted the attention of M. Pabre, in the first 

 instance, to these Little excavators. He watched them, resting from 

 their labours and basking in the sun, the females often flying to the 

 surrounding trees, pursued by the males, who hover about, idle spec- 

 tators of the toil carried on before their eyes. Fights frequently 

 ensue between them for the possession of some particular female, 

 who sits an apparently unconcerned beholder of the struggle for 

 supremacy, and, when the victory is decided, quietly flies away in 

 company with the conqueror. The males, which are only half the 

 size of the females, do not condescend even to enter the galleries 

 which are in course of excavation ; and neither by carrying a single 

 grain of sand, nor by assisting in the subsequent troublesome task of 

 collecting provisions for the young, do they share in the industry 

 around them. Having completed the nests for the reception of her 

 eggs, it now remains for the thoughtful parent to provide the nourish- 

 ment requisite for her young, when they shall emerge from the shell. 

 The victim chosen for this pmposeis a large Curculio (Cleomis optJial' 

 miens). On her return from a foraging expedition, the Cerceris may 

 be seen flying homewards, heavily weighed down by her prey, which 

 fche embraces, the underside of her body opposed to that of her victim. 

 Alighting at a short distance from her hole, she proceeds to drag the 

 Cleonus painfully up to the entrance of its prison, often slipping 

 back, and rolling with it down among the loose grains of sand, only 

 to recommence undauntedly her toilsome ascent. M. Fabre had the 

 curiosity to weigh both the Cerceris and her prey ; the first averaged 

 1.50 milligi'ammes, the second 255 ; a fact which would render the 

 flight of the Cerceris a matter of considerable surprise to any one 

 not aware of the great muscular power possessed by insects. 



Either by robbing her nest of the prey, or by attacking the 

 Cerceris at the moment when she arrived with her booty, and forcing 



