The Hunting Wasps 



danger my charge during a walk of several 

 miles. Any one who had met me on the 

 dusty Nimes Road, dropping with fatigue 

 and religiously carrying in my hand, as the 

 sole fruit of my laborious trip, an ugly grub 

 battening on a heap of Flies, would certainly 

 have smiled at my simplicity. 



The journey was effected without damage: 

 when I reached home, the larva was placidly 

 eating its Flies as though nothing had hap- 

 pened. On the third day of captivity, the 

 provisions taken from the burrow were fin- 

 ished; the grub was rummaging with its 

 pointed mouth among the heap of remains 

 without finding anything to suit it; the dry 

 particles taken hold of, all horny, juiceless 

 bits, were rejected with disgust. The mo- 

 ment has come for me to continue the food 

 supply. The first Flies within reach shall 

 form my prisoner's diet. I kill them by 

 pressing them in my fingers, but without 

 crushing them. The first ration consists of 

 three EristaUs tenax and one Sarcophaga.^ 

 This is all gobbled up in twenty-four hours. 

 Next day, I provide two Eristales, or Drone- 

 flies, and four House-flies. It was enough 



iQr Flesh-fly. Cf. The Life of the Fly: chap, x.— 

 Translator's Note. 



288 



