More Hunting Wasps 



prised to find that, in the grub of the Oryctes, 

 the same system was concentrated into a 

 short chain of ganglia in juxtaposition. His 

 was the surprise of the anatomist who, study- 

 ing the organ qua organ, sees for the first 

 time an unusual conformation. Mine was of 

 a different nature : I was amazed to see the 

 precision with which the paralysis of the vic- 

 tim sacrificed by the Scolia, a paralysis so 

 profound in spite of the difficulties of an un- 

 derground operation, had guided my fore- 

 cast as to structure when, anticipating the 

 dissection, I declared in favour of an excep- 

 tional concentration of the nervous system. 

 Physiology perceived what anatomy had not 

 yet revealed, at all events to my eyes, for 

 since then, on dipping into my books, I have 

 learnt that these anatomical peculiarities, 

 which were then so new to me, are now 

 within the domain of current science. We 

 know that, in the Scarabaeidae, both the larva 

 and the perfect insect are endowed with a 

 concentrated nervous system. 



The Garden Scolia attacks Oryctes nasi- 

 cornis; the Two-banded Scolia the Cetonia; 

 the Interrupted Scolia the Anoxia. All 

 three operate below ground, under the most 

 unfavourable conditions; and all three have 

 for their victim a larva of one of the Scara- 



