The Life of the Fly 



occupied with its work at the bottom of the 

 cell. Meanwhile, the Wasps present do not 

 interfere, remain impassiv^e, showing that the 

 grub visited is in no peril. The stranger, in 

 fact, withdraws with a soft, gliding motion. 

 The chubby babe, a sort of indiarubber bag, 

 resumes its original volume without having 

 suffered any harm, as its appetite proves. A 

 nurse offers it a mouthful, which- it accepts 

 with every sign of unimpaired vigour. As for 

 the Volucella-grub, it licks its lips after its 

 own fashion, pushing its two fangs in and out; 

 then, without further loss of time, goes and 

 repeats its probing elsewhere. 



What it wants down there, at the bottom 

 of the cells, behind the grubs, cannot be de- 

 cided by direct observation; it must be guessed 

 at. Since the visited larva remains intact, it 

 is not prey that the Volucella-grub is after. 

 Besides, if murder formed part of its plans, 

 why descend to the bottom of the cell, instead 

 of attacking the defenceless recluse straight- 

 way? It would be much easier to suck the 

 patient's juices through the actual orifice of 

 the cell. Instead of that, we see a dip, always 

 a dip and never any other tactics. 



Then what is there behind the Wasp-grub? 

 Let us try to put it as decently as possible. In 

 268 



