The Hunting Wasps 



to enormous distances, the Pigeon returns 

 promptly to the Dovecote. If we wanted to 

 work out a proportion between the length of 

 the journey and the size of the creature, how 

 greatly superior to the Pigeon would be the 

 Cerceris, who finds her burrow after being 

 carried a distance of two miles! The bulk 

 of the insect is not a cubic centimetre,^ 

 whereas that of the Pigeon must be quite a 

 cubic decimetre,- if not more. The bird, 

 being a thousand times larger than the 

 Wasp, ought therefore, in order to rival her, 

 to find the Dovecote at a distance of two 

 thousand miles, which is thrice the greatest 

 length of France from north to south, I do 

 not know that a Carrier-pigeon has ever per- 

 formed such a feat. But power of flight 

 and, still less, lucidity of instinct are qualities 

 that cannot be measured by the yard. Com- 

 parative size cannot here be taken into con- 

 sideration; and we must just look upon the 

 insect as a worthy rival of the bird, without 

 deciding which of the two has the advantage. 

 In returning to the Dovecote and the bur- 

 row, when man has artificially made them 

 lose their bearings and carried them to great 



1.061 cubic inch. — Translator's Note. 

 '^61 cubic inches. — Translator's Note. 



336 



