The Hunting Wasps 



what falls in afterwards, when the larva is 

 enclosed in its stout cocoon, a sort of safe 

 which we shall see it building. The work- 

 manship of the cell, therefore, is very rustic: 

 the whole thing is reduced to a rough excava- 

 tion, of no definite shape, with a low roof and 

 space enough to contain two or three wal- 

 nuts. 



In this retreat lies a piece of game, one 

 only, quite small and quite insufficient for the 

 greedy nurseling which it is meant to feed. 

 It is a golden-green Fly, a Green-bottle {Lii- 

 cilia Casar)^^ who lives on putrid flesh. 

 The Fly served up as food is absolutely mo- 

 tionless. Is she quite dead, or only para- 

 lysed? This question will be cleared up 

 later. For the moment, we will note the 

 presence, on the side of the game, of a cylin- 

 drical egg, white, very slightly curved and a 

 couple of millimetres ^ long. It is the egg of 

 the Bembex. As we expected from the 

 mother's behaviour, there is nothing urgent 

 indoors: the egg is laid and provided with a 

 first ration apportioned to the requirements 

 of the feeble grub which will hatch twenty- 



iCf. The Life of the Fly, by J. Henri Fabre, translated 

 by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos: chap. ix. — Trans- 

 lator's Note. 



^About .08 inch. — Translator's Note. 

 280 



