Parasites 



ger-thrust. To seek and find for one's larder 

 a torpid prey incapable of resistance is, if you 

 like, less meritorious than heroically to stab 

 the strong-jawed Rose-chafer or Rhinoceros 

 Beetle; but since when has the title of sports- 

 man been denied to him who blows out the 

 brains of a harmless Rabbit, instead of wait- 

 ing without flinching for the furious charge of 

 the Wild Boar and driving his hunting-knife 

 into him behind the shoulder? Besides, if the 

 actual assault i$ without danger, the approach 

 is attended with a difficulty that increases the 

 merit of these second-rate poachers. The 

 coveted game is invisible. It is confined in 

 the stronghold of a cell and moreover pro- 

 tected by the surrounding wall of a cocoon. 

 Of what prowess must not the mother be ca- 

 pable to determine the exact spot at which it 

 lies and to lay her egg on its side or at least 

 close by? For these reasons, I boldly number 

 the Chrysis, the Mutilla and their rivals 

 among the hunters and reserve the ignoble 

 title of parasites for the Tachina, the Melecta, 

 the Crocisa, the Meloe-beetle, in short, for all 

 those who feed on the provisions of others. 



All things considered, is ignoble the right 

 epithet to apply to parasitism? No doubt, 

 213 



