THE WONDERS OF 

 INSTINCT 



CHAPTER I 



THE HARMAS 



This is what I wished for, hoc erat in votis: a bit of land, 

 oh, not so very large, but fenced in, to avoid the draw- 

 backs of a public way; an abandoned, barren, sun- 

 scorched bit of land, favored by thistles and by Wasps 

 and Bees. Here, without fear of being troubled by the 

 passers-by, I could consult the Ammophila and the 

 Sphex ^ and engage in that difificult conversation whose 

 questions and answers have experiment for their lan- 

 guage ; here, without distant expeditions that take up my 

 time, without tiring rambles that strain my nerves, I could 

 contrive my plans of attack, lay my ambushes and watch 

 their effects at every hour of the day. Hoc erat in votis. 

 Yes, this was my wish, my dream, always cherished, al- 

 ways vanishing into the mists of the future. 



And it is no easy matter to acquire a laboratory in the 

 open fields, when harassed by a terrible anxiety about 

 one's daily bread. For forty years have I fought, with 

 steadfast courage, against the paltry plagues of life; and 

 the long-wished -for laboratory has come at last. What 

 it has cost me in perseverance and relentless work I will 



^Two species of Digger- or Hunting-wasps. — Translator's Note^ 



3 



