The Life of the Fly 



To my sorrow, the masons ended by evicting 

 the sporting tribe; but, should I ever wish to 

 recall it, I have but to renew the mounds of 

 sand : they will soon all be there. 



Hunters that have not disappeared, their 

 homes being different, are the Ammophilze, 

 whom I see fluttering, one in spring, the 

 others in autumn, along the garden-walks and 

 over the lawns, in search of a Caterpillar; the 

 Pompili, 1 who travel alertly, beating their 

 wings and rummaging in every corner in quest 

 of a Spider. The largest of them waylays the 

 Narbonne Lycosa, 2 whose burrow is not infre- 

 quent in the harmas. This burrow is a vertical 

 well, with a curb of fescue-grass intertwined 

 with silk. You can see the eyes of the mighty 

 Spider gleam at the bottom of the den 

 like little diamonds, an object of terror to 

 most. What a prey and what dangerous hunt- 

 ing for the Pompilus! And here, on a hot 

 summer afternoon, is the Amazon-ant, who 

 leaves her barrack-rooms in long battalions 

 and marches far afield to hunt for slaves. We 



'The Pompilus is a species of Digger or Hunting Wasp, 

 known also as the Ringed Calicurgus. Cf. The Life and 

 Love of the Insect: chap. xii. — Translator's Note. 



2 Kno\vn also as the Black-bellied Tarantula. Cf. The 

 Life and Love of the Insect: chap, xii; and The Life 

 of the Spider: chaps, i and iii to vi. — Translator's Note. 



