508 THE INSECT WORLD. 



time surrounded with an impenetrable veil of mystery, but the 

 researches of Newport in England, and of M. Fabre (of Avignon) in 

 France, has made known in our days, phases, extremely curious, under 

 which are accomplished the metamorphoses of the Meloe cicatricosus, 

 and of the Sitaris humeralis, a species which belongs to the same 

 family.* These observations, of which we are about to give a rapid 

 summary, will probably help towards unravelling the first states of 

 Cantharis. 



The Sitaris humeralis (Fig. 545) takes no nourishment when 

 arrived at the perfect state. When the female has been impregnated, 

 she lays at the entrance of the nest of a solitary bee from 2,000 to 

 3,000 small whitish eggs, stuck together in shapeless masses. A 

 month afterwards there come out of these eggs very small larvae, of 

 a shiny dark green, hard-skinned, armed with strong jaws, and long 



Fig 547. Pseudo-nymph Fig. 543. Third iirva of aitaris Fig. 54;. Pupa c,f Skaris 



of Sitaris humeralis. humeralis. humeralis. 



legs and antennae (Fig. 546). These are the first larvae. They remain 

 motionless, and without taking food, till the following spring. At 

 this period are hatched the male bees, which precede the appearance 

 of the females by a month. As the bees come out of their nests, 

 these larvae hook themselves on to their hairs, and pass them 

 to the females, at the coupling period. When the male bees 

 have built the cells, and furnished them with honey, the female, as 

 we know, deposits in each an egg. Immediately the larvae of the Sitaris 

 let themselves fall on these eggs, open them, and suck their contents. 

 Then they change their skin, and the second larva appears. This 

 one gets into the honey, on which it feeds for six weeks. It is blind, 

 whereas the first larva was provided with four eyes, no doubt to 

 enable it to see the bees which were to serve as its conductors, in like 



* " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," 1857, 40 serie, tome-vii., p. 300. 



