THE ADVENTURES OF A GRUB 



We do not see them wandering from spot to spot, ex- 

 ploring the Bee's body, seeking the part where the skin 

 is most delicate, as they would certainly do if they were 

 really feeding on the insect. On the contrary, they 

 are always fixed on the toughest and hardest part of the 

 Bee's body, a little below the insertion of the wings, 

 or sometimes on the head; and they remain absolutely 

 motionless, clinging to a single hair. It seems to me 

 undeniable that the young Sitares settle on the Bee 

 merely to make her carry them into the cells that she will 

 soon be building. 



But in the meantime the future parasites must hold 

 tight to the fleece of their hostess, in spite of her rapid 

 flights among the flowers, in spite of her rubbing against 

 the walls of the galleries when she enters to take shelter, 

 and in spite, above all, of the brushing which she must 

 often give herself with her feet, to dust herself and keep 

 spick and span. We were wondering a little time ago 

 what the dangerous, shifting thing could be on which 

 the grub would have to establish itself. That thing is 

 the hair of a Bee who makes a thousand rapid journeys, 

 now diving into her narrow galleries, now forcing her 

 way down the tight throat of a flower. 



We can now quite understand the use of the two 

 spikes, which close together and are able to take hold 

 of hair more easily than the most delicate tweezers. We 



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