The Scoliae 



ance deserved to succeed. It did, though 

 the success was very incomplete. Let me 

 describe it, such as it was; the future will 

 fill up the gaps. 



A female issues from the soil before my 

 eyes. She flies away, followed by several 

 males. With the luchet I dig at the point 

 of emergence; and, as the excavation pro- 

 gresses, I sift between my fingers the rub- 

 bish of sand mixed with mould. In the 

 sweat of my brow, as I may justly say, I 

 must have removed nearly a cubic yard of 

 material, when at last I make a find. This 

 is a recently ruptured cocoon, to the side of 

 which adheres an empty skin, the last rem- 

 nant of the game on which the larva fed 

 that wrought the said cocoon. Considering 

 the good condition of its silken fabric, this 

 cocoon may have belonged to the Scolia who 

 has just quitted her underground dwelling 

 before my eyes. As for the skin accom- 

 panying it, this has been so much spoilt by 

 the moisture of the soil and by the grassy 

 roots that I cannot determine its origin ex- 

 actly. The cranium, however, which is bet- 

 ter-preserved, the mandibles and certain de- 

 tails of the general configuration lead me to 

 suspect the larva of a Lamellicorn. 



It is getting late. This is enough for to- 

 37 



