CHAPTER I 



THE HARMAS 



THIS Is what I wished for, hoc erat in 

 votis: a bit of land, oh, not so very large, 

 but fenced in, to avoid the drawbacks of a pub- 

 lic way; an abandoned, barren, sun-scorched 

 bit of land, favoured by thistles and by Wasps 

 and Bees. Here, without fear of being 

 troubled by the passers-by, I could consult the 

 Ammophila and the Sphex^ and engage in that 

 difficult conversation whose questions and an- 

 swers have experiment for their language; 

 here, without distant expeditions that take up 

 my time, without tiring rambles that strain my 

 nerves, I could contrive my plans of attack, 

 lay my ambushes and watch their effects at 

 every hour of the day. Hoc erat in votis. 

 Yes, this was my wish, my dream, always 

 cherished, always vanishing into the mists of 

 the future. 



And it is no easy matter to acquire a labo- 



^Two species of Digger or Hunting Wasps. Cf. Insect 

 Life, by J. H. Fabre, translated by the author of Made- 

 moiselle Mori: chaps, vi to xii and xvi. — Translator's 

 Note. 



II 



