THE OAK EGGAR 213 



gauze cover. They hesitated, that was plain ; they were 

 still seeking. 



Finally they found. And what did they find ? Simply 

 the twig, which that morning had served the ample 

 matron as bed. Their wings rapidly fluttering, they 

 alighted on the foliage ; they explored it over and under, 

 probed it, raised it, and displaced it so that the twig finally 

 fell to the floor. None the less they continued to probe 

 between the leaves. Under the buffets and the draught 

 of their wings and the clutches of their eager feet the 

 little bundle of leaves ran along the floor like a scrap of 

 paper patted by the paws of a cat. 



While the twig was sliding away with its band of inves- 

 tigators two new arrivals appeared. The chair lay in their 

 path. They stopped at it and searched eagerly at the 

 very spot on which the twig had been lying. But with 

 these, as with the others, the real object of their desires 

 was there, close by, under a wire cover which was not 

 even veiled. None took any note of it. On the floor, a 

 handful of butterflies were still hustling the bunch of 

 leaves on which the female had reposed that morning ; 

 others, on the chair, were still examining the spot where 

 the twig had lain. The sun sank, and the hour of 

 departure struck. Moreover, the emanations were grow- 

 ing feebler, were evaporating. Without more ado the 

 visitors left. We bade them goodbye till the morrow. 



The following tests showed me that the leaf-covered 

 twig which accidentally enlightened me might be re- 

 placed by any other substance. Some time before the 

 visitors were expected I placed the female on a bed of 

 cloth or flannel, card or paper. I even subjected her to 

 the rigours of a camp-bed of wood, glass, marble, and 



