XIX THE RETURN TO THE NEST 263 



my hand. She soon returns. The complete change 

 made upon her threshold during her absence does 

 not seem to cause her the slightest hesitation ; at 

 all events she alights immediately upon the stone, 

 and tries for an instant to hollow it, not at a chance 

 spot, but exactly over the opening of her burrow. 

 Quickly turned aside from this attempt by the hard- 

 ness of the obstacle, she traverses the stone in every 

 direction, goes round it, slips underneath, and begins 

 to dig in the precise direction of her dwelling. 



The flat stone is too trifling an obstacle to dis- 

 concert the clever fly ; let us find something better. 

 I did not allow the Bembex to continue her exca- 

 vation, which I saw would soon prove successful, and 

 drove her far off with my handkerchief. The absence 

 of the frightened insect for a considerable time 

 allowed me to prepare my snares leisurely. What 

 materials must now be employed ? In these im- 

 provised experiments one must know how to turn 

 all things to profit. Not far off on the high road is 

 the fresh dropping of a beast of burden ; here is 

 wood for our arrow. The dropping was collected, 

 crushed, and spread in a layer at least an inch thick 

 on the threshold of the burrow and its surroundings 

 over more than a quarter of a yard. Assuredly 

 here was such a facade as never Bembex knew. 

 Colour, the nature of the material, the effluvium, — 

 all combined to deceive the Hymenopteron. Can 

 she take this stretch of manure — this dung — for the 

 front of the dwelling ? She does ! Here she comes ; 

 studying from above the unusual condition of the 

 place, and settling in the middle of the layer, just 

 opposite the entrance, routing about, making a way 



