More Hunting Wasps 



Whence then does it come, if not from the 

 universal knowledge in which all things move 

 and have their being! 



What would happen if, in exchange for 

 her Praying Mantis, I were to give the 

 Tachytes a young Grasshopper? In rearing 

 insects at home, I have already noted that 

 the larvae put up very well with this diet; 

 and I am surprised that the mother does not 

 follow the example of the Tarsal Tachytes 

 and provide her family with a skewerful of 

 Locusts instead of the risky prey which she 

 selects. The diet would be practically the 

 same; and the terrible shears would no longer 

 be a danger. With such a patient would 

 her operating-method remain the same; 

 should we again see a sudden recoil after the 

 first stab under the neck; or would the vivi- 

 sector modify her art in conformity with the 

 unfamiliar nervous organization? 



This second alternative is highly impro- 

 bable. It would be nonsense to expect to see 

 the paralyser vary the number and the dis- 

 tribution of the wounds according to the 

 genus of the victim. Supremely skilled in 

 the task that has fallen to its lot, the insect 

 knows nothing further. 



The first alternative seems to offer a cert- 

 ain chance and deserves a test. I offer the 

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