44 INSECT LIFE 



It! 



the oak district. I had good reason to believe that it did 

 not, and you will soon see with some surprise how exquisite 

 is the entomological tact of our Cerceris in her choice of 

 the numerous kind of Buprestids. 



Let us hasten to the pine region to taste new pleasures. 

 The spot to be explored is a garden belonging to a pro- 

 perty in the midst of forests of the maritime pines. The 

 haunts of the Cerceris were soon recognised ; they were 

 exclusively found in the main paths, where the beaten and 

 compact soil offered the burrowing Hymenoptera sufficient 

 solidity for the construction of their subterranean dwellings. 

 I visited some twenty, and I did it, I may say, by the 

 sweat of my brow. It is a very laborious kind of explora- 

 tion, for the nests and provisions are only found at the 

 depth of one foot, so that it is necessary to invest the 

 place by a line of square trenches seven or eight inches 

 from the mouth of the hole, first inserting a stalk of grass 

 in the gallery by way of clue. One must sap with a garden 

 spade, so that the central clod, thoroughly detached all 

 round, may be raised in one piece, then reversed on the 

 ground and broken up carefully. Such is the manoeuvre 

 which I found successful. You would have shared our 

 enthusiasm at the sight of the beautiful species of Buprestis 

 which this new style of research revealed to our eager gaze. 

 You ought to have heard our exclamations as each time 

 the clod was reversed, new treasures were revealed 

 rendered yet more brilliant by the hot sun, or when we 

 discovered the larvae of every age attached to their prey, 

 or the cocoons of these larvae incrusted with copper, 

 bronze, and emerald. I who had been for three or four 

 times ten years, alas ! a practical entomologist had never 

 beheld such an enchanting sight or had had such good 

 fortune. We only wanted you to double our enjoyment. 

 With ever increasing admiration we dwelt now on the 

 brilliant Coleoptera and now on the marvellous sagacity of 

 the Cerceris which had buried and laid them up for food. 

 Can you believe it ? Out of more than 400 beetles dug 

 up, there was not one which did not belong to the old 



