The Bluebottle: The Laying 



wide, do not permit of the Fly' s passage. 

 The Bluebottle comes to my apparatus, 

 guided by scent rather than sight. She hastens 

 to the test-tube whose contents are veiled un- 

 der an opaque cover with the same alacrity as 

 to the open tube. The invisible attracts her 

 quite as much as the visible. 



She stays a while on the lattice of the 

 mouth, inspects it attentively; but, whether be- 

 cause circumstances have failed to serve me, or 

 because the wire network inspires her with dis- 

 trust, I never saw her dab her eggs upon it for 

 certain. As her evidence was doubtful, I had 

 recourse to the Flesh-fly (Sarcophaga carna- 

 ria ) . 



This Fly is less finikin in her preparations, 

 she has more faith in the strength of her 

 worms, which are born ready-formed and vig- 

 orous, and easily shows me what I wish to see. 

 She explores the trellis-work, chooses a mesh 

 through which she inserts the tip of her ab- 

 domen and, undisturbed by my presence, 

 emits, one after the other, a certain number of 

 grubs, about ten or so. True, her visits will 

 be repeated, increasing the family at a rate of 

 which I am ignorant. 



The new-born worms, thanks to a slight 

 viscidity, cling for a moment to the wire- 



331 



