The Life of the Fly 



very neat drops fallen from a tallow candle. 

 Lastly, their backs are streaked with faint 

 transversal lines, an elegant detail perceptible 

 only with the lens. These curious objects are 

 scattered all over the surface of the wrapper, 

 sometimes at a distance from one another, 

 sometimes gathered into more or less dense 

 groups. They are the eggs of the Volucella, 

 or Bumble-bee Fly {Volucella zonaria, Lin.). 

 Also stuck to the brown paper of the outer 

 wrapper and mixed up with the Volucella's are 

 a large number of other eggs, chalk-white, 

 spear-shaped and ridged lengthwise with seven 

 or eight thin ribs, after the manner of the 

 seeds of certain Umbelliferae. The finishing 

 touch to their delicate beauty Is the fine stip- 

 pling all over the surface. They are smaller 

 by half than the others. I have seen grubs 

 come out of them which might easily be the 

 earliest stage of some pointed maggots which 

 I have already noticed in the burrows. My 

 attempts to rear them failed; and I am not 

 able to say which Fly these eggs belong to. 

 Enough for us to note the nameless one in 

 passing. There are plenty of others, which 

 we must make up our minds to leave un- 

 labelled, In view of the jumbled crowd of 

 feasters in the ruined Wasps' nest. We will 

 256 



