The Bee-eating Philanthus 



the contest is opened, the Philanthus becomes 

 so entirely absorbed in her operation that 

 I can remove the cover and follow every 

 vicissitude of the tragedy with my pocket- 

 lens. 



After recognizing the invariable position 

 of the wound, I bend back and open the 

 articulation of the head. I see under the 

 Bee's chin a white spot, measuring hardly a 

 twenty-fifth of an inch square, where the 

 horny integuments are lacking and the deli- 

 cate skin is shown uncovered. It is here, 

 always here, in this tiny defect in the armour, 

 that the sting enters. Why is this spot 

 stabbed rather than another? Can it be 

 the only vulnerable point, which would neces- 

 sarily determine the thrust of the lancet? 

 Should any one entertain so petty a thought, 

 I advise him to open the articulation of the 

 corselet, behind the first pair of legs. He 

 will there see what I see : the bare skin, quite 

 as fine as under the neck, but covering a 

 much larger surface. The horny breast- 

 plate offers no wider breach. If the Philan- 

 thus were guided in her operation solely by 

 the question of vulnerability, it is here cert- 

 ainly that she ought to strike, instead of per- 

 sistently seeking the narrow slit in the neck. 

 The weapon would not need to hesitate and 

 249 



