THE ANTHRAX FLY 



They went from one Bee's nest to another, but without 

 attempting to enter. For that matter, the attempt would 

 be useless, for the galleries are too narrow to admit their 

 spreading wings. So they simply explore the cliff, going 

 to and fro, and up and down, with a flight that was now 

 sudden, now smooth and slow. From time to time I 

 saw one of them approach the wall and touch the earth 

 suddenly with the tip of her body. The proceeding 

 took no longer than the twinkling of an eye. When it 

 was over the insect rested a moment, and then resumed 

 flight. 



I was certain that, at the moment when the Fly tapped 

 the earth, she laid her eggs on the spot. Yet, though I 

 rushed forward and examined the place with my lens, I 

 could see no egg. In spite of the closest attention I 

 could distinguish nothing. The truth is that my state 

 of exhaustion, together with the blinding light and 

 scorching heat, made it difficult for me to see anything. 

 Afterwards, when I made the acquaintance of the tiny 

 thing that comes out of that egg, my failure no longer sur- 

 prised me : for even in the leisure and peace of my study 

 I have the greatest difficulty in finding the infinitesimal 

 creature. How then could I see the egg, worn out as I 

 was under the sun-baked cliff? 



None the less I was convinced that I had seen the 

 Anthrax Flies strewing their eggs, one by one, on the 

 spots frequented by the Bees who suit their grubs. They 



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