The Life of the Fly 



pierce through the texture of the cocoon and 

 to reach the victuals. 



I even believe that it takes longer. The 

 work is so laborious and the worker so feeble ! 

 I cannot tell how long it is since my bantlings 

 attained their object. Perhaps, aided by easy 

 roads, they had reached their fostering larvae 

 long before the completion of their first baby- 

 hood, the end of which they were spending be- 

 fore my eyes, with no apparent purpose, in 

 exploring their provisions. The time had not 

 yet come for them to change their skins and 

 take their seats at the table. Their fellows 

 must still, for the most part, be wandering 

 through the pores of the masonry; and this 

 was what made my search so vain at the start. 



A few facts seem to suggest that the entrance 

 into the cell may be delayed for several 

 months by the difficulty of the passages. There 

 are a few Anthrax-grubs beside the remains of 

 pupae not far removed from the final meta- 

 morphosis; there are others, but very rarely, 

 on Mason-bees already in the perfect state. 

 These grubs are sickly and appear to be ail- 

 ing; the provisions are too solid and do not 

 lend themselves to the delicate suckling of the 

 worms. Who can these laggards be but ani- 

 malcules that have roamed too long in the 



1 06 



