More Hunting Wasps 



to my find : the laying of the egg has become 

 a pressing matter; and the mother, I beheve, 

 will accept a substitute for her victim with- 

 out much hesitation. Here then are my two 

 captives, each under her bell-glass with her 

 Tarantula. 



I am all eyes. What a tragedy there will 

 be in a moment! I wait, anxiously. . . . 

 But . . . but . . . what is this? Which 

 of the two is the assailed? Which is the 

 assailant? The characters seem to be in- 

 verted. The Calicurgus, unable to climb up 

 the smooth glass wall, strides round the ring 

 of the circus. With a proud and rapid 

 gait, her wings and antennae vibrating, she 

 goes and returns. The Lycosa is soon seen. 

 The Calicurgus approaches her without the 

 least sign of fear, walks round her and ap- 

 pears to have the intention of seizing one of 

 her legs. But at that moment the Taran- 

 tula rises almost vertically on her four hin- 

 der legs, with her four front legs lifted and 

 outspread, ready for the counterstroke. 

 The poison-fangs gape widely; a drop of 

 venom moistens their tips. The very sight 

 of them makes my flesh creep. In this ter- 

 rible attitude, presenting her powerful 

 thorax and the black velvet of her belly to 

 the enemy, the Spider overawes the Pom- 

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