The Life of the Caterpillar 



limbs, which the moving of a grain of sand 

 would warp; her wings, which, if extended, 

 would block her way through a gorge; her 

 dress of stiff silk, militating against a smooth 

 passage: these are all against her. The Sa- 

 promyzon is obliged to lay her eggs on the 

 surface of the soil, but she must do so at the 

 very spot beneath which the truffle lies, for 

 the tiny grubs would die if they had to roam 

 at random until they came upon their proven- 

 der, which is always sparsely distributed. 



The truffle-hunting Fly is therefore in- 

 formed by her sense of smell of the spots fa- 

 vourable to her maternal plans; she possesses 

 the scent of the rabassier Dog, indeed pro- 

 bably a better one, for she knows things by 

 nature, having never been taught, whereas 

 her rival has only received an artificial educa- 

 tion. 



It would be interesting to follow the Sa- 

 promyzon's manoeuvres, but the idea strikes 

 me as impracticable. The insect is rare, flies 

 away quickly and is soon out of sight. To 

 observe it closely, to watch it at work would 

 involve a great loss of time and a degree of 

 assiduity of which 1 do not feel capable. An- 

 other discoverer of underground fungi shall 

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