116 SOCIAL LIFE IN THE INSECT WORLD 



meet force by force, and return bite for bite. His 

 strength would enable him to come well out of a 

 struggle, but the foolish creature allows himself to 

 be devoured without retaliating. It seems as though 

 an invincible repugnance prevents him from offering 

 resistance and in turn devouring the devourer. This 

 tolerance reminds one of the scorpion of Languedoc, 

 which on the termination of the hymeneal rites allows 

 the female to devour him without attempting to employ 

 his weapon, the venomous dagger which would form a 

 formidable defence ; it reminds us also of the male of 

 the Praying Mantis, which still embraces the female 

 though reduced to a headless trunk, while the latter 

 devours him by small mouthfuls, with no rebellion or 

 defence on his part. There are other examples of 

 hymeneal rites to which the male offers no resistance. 



The males of my menagerie of Gardeners, one and 

 all eviscerated, speak of similar customs. They are the 

 victims of the females when the latter have no further 

 use for them. For four months, from April to August, 

 the insects pair off continually ; sometimes tentatively, 

 but usually the mating is effective. The business of 

 mating is all but endless for these fiery spirits. 



The Gardener is prompt and businesslike in his 

 affairs of the heart. In the midst of the crowd, with no 

 preliminary courtship, the male throws himself upon the 

 female. The female thus embraced raises her head a 

 trifle as a sign of acquiescence, while the cavalier beats 

 the back of her neck with his antennae. The embrace is 

 brief, and they abruptly separate ; after a little refresh- 

 ment the two parties are ready for other adventures, and 

 yet others, so long as there are males available. After 



