The Life of the Fly 



choice; she has stuck her egg on the propitious 

 spot and, by the very act of doing so, marked 

 out the course for the inexperienced grub to 

 follow. The tact of ripe age here guides the 

 young larva's behaviour at table. 



The conditions are very different in the 

 Anthrax' case. The egg is not placed upon 

 the victuals, it is not even laid in the Mason- 

 bee's cell. This is the natural consequence of 

 the mother's feeble frame and of her lack of 

 any instrument, such as a probe or auger, ca- 

 pable of piercing the mortar wall. It is for 

 the newly-hatched grub to make its own way 

 into the dwelling. It enters, finds itself in the 

 presence of ample provisions, the larva of 

 the Mason-bee, Free of its actions, it is at 

 liberty to attack the prey where it chooses; or 

 rather the attacking-point will be decided at 

 haphazard by the first contact of the mouth 

 in quest of food. Grant this mouth a set of 

 carving-tools, jaws and mandibles; in short, 

 suppose the grub of the Fly to possess a man- 

 ner of eating similar to that of the other car- 

 nivorous larvae; and the nursling is at once 

 threatened with a speedy death. He will split 

 open his nurse's belly, he will dig without any 

 rule to guide him, he will bite at random, es- 

 sentials as well as accessories; and, from one 

 48 



