﻿SOLITARY 
  WASP 
  — 
  REINHARQ 
  

  

  367 
  

  

  eight-tenths 
  of 
  a 
  millimeter. 
  Queerly 
  

   enough, 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  secured 
  to 
  the 
  

   sternum 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  Ealic- 
  

   tinae, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  often 
  stretches 
  along 
  

   the 
  bee's 
  entire 
  length 
  from 
  chin 
  to 
  

   tail. 
  Knowing 
  that 
  the 
  bees 
  are 
  

   butchered 
  and 
  not 
  paralyzed, 
  one 
  

   might 
  suspect 
  that 
  the 
  egg 
  would 
  be 
  

   laid 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  carcass 
  brought 
  in. 
  

   We 
  might 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  sooner 
  the 
  

   egg 
  is 
  laid 
  the 
  sooner 
  will 
  it 
  hatch 
  

   and 
  the 
  fresher 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  food 
  sup- 
  

   ply. 
  But 
  facts 
  confound 
  our 
  logic. 
  It 
  

   is 
  always 
  on 
  the 
  last 
  bee 
  stored 
  away, 
  

   on 
  the 
  bee 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   heap, 
  that 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  wasp's 
  egg. 
  Nor 
  

   are 
  the 
  provisions 
  uncommonly 
  well 
  

   preserved. 
  Long 
  before 
  the 
  Philan- 
  

   thus 
  larva 
  has 
  ceased 
  feeding 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   decidedly 
  unpleasant 
  effluvium 
  coming 
  

   from 
  the 
  corpses 
  which 
  form 
  its 
  food. 
  

  

  Within 
  three 
  days 
  the 
  egg 
  hatches, 
  

   not 
  suddenly, 
  but 
  gradually 
  and 
  almost 
  

   imperceptibly. 
  Inside 
  the 
  forward 
  

   and 
  blunter 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  the 
  embry- 
  

   onic 
  larval 
  head 
  has 
  been 
  forming 
  and 
  

   the 
  segmented 
  body 
  begins 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  

   membranous 
  shell. 
  Then 
  the 
  larva, 
  

   without 
  moving, 
  pierces 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  

   the 
  egg 
  directly 
  below 
  its 
  mandibles 
  

   and 
  begins 
  to 
  draw 
  nourishment 
  from 
  

   between 
  the 
  sternal 
  sclerites 
  of 
  the 
  bee. 
  

   The 
  swelling 
  larval 
  form 
  at 
  length 
  

   bursts 
  the 
  tight 
  envelope 
  of 
  the 
  shell. 
  

   It 
  splits 
  and 
  shrinks 
  away, 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   larva 
  a 
  suckling 
  at 
  the 
  breast 
  of 
  a 
  

   dead 
  bee 
  (pi. 
  1, 
  fig. 
  3). 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  seven 
  days 
  are 
  a 
  glorious 
  

   banquet 
  for 
  the 
  eupeptic 
  grub. 
  The 
  

   tiny 
  creature 
  munches 
  methodically, 
  

   and 
  methodically 
  grows 
  fat. 
  Twenty- 
  

   four 
  hours 
  after 
  hatching 
  it 
  takes 
  a 
  ffir-'-, 
  'f 
  ({'/•?' 
  

   short 
  rest 
  to 
  shed 
  its 
  first 
  moult. 
  '" 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  its 
  growth 
  two 
  other 
  sloughs 
  are 
  cast. 
  The 
  

   second 
  and 
  third 
  ecdysis* 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  witnessed, 
  but 
  I 
  conjecture 
  

  

  Yi'j: 
  

  

  fer 
  ; 
  '/ 
  

  

  ?' 
  : 
  

  

  