ii.] METAMORPHOSES OF INSECTS. 43 



of April following they remained without leaving their 

 birth-place, and consequently without food ; nor did 

 they in this long time change either in form or size. 

 M. Fabre ascertained this, not only by examining the 

 burrow of the anthophoras, but also by direct observa- 

 tions of some young larvae kept in captivity. In April, 

 however, his captives at last awoke from their long 

 lethargy, and hurried anxiously about their prisons. 

 Naturally inferring that they were in search of food, 

 M. Fabre supposed that this would consist either of the 

 larvae or pupae of the anthophora, or of the honey with 

 which it stores its cell. All three were tried without 

 success. The first two were neglected, and the larvae, when 

 placed on the latter, either hurried away or perished 

 in the attempt, being evidently unable to deal with the 

 sticky substance. M. Fabre was in despair : " Jamais 

 experience," he says, " n'a eprouve pareille deconfiture. 

 Larves, nymphes, cellules, miel, je vous ai tous offert ; 

 que voulez-vous, done, bestioles maudites 1 " The first 

 ray of light came to him from our countryman, Newport, 

 who ascertained that a small parasite found by Ldon 

 Dufour on one of the wild bees was, in fact, the larva 

 of the oil-beetle. The larvce of sitaris much resembled 

 Dufour's larvae. Acting on this hint, M. Fabre ex- 

 amined many specimens of anthophora, and found on 

 them at last the larvae of his sitaris. The males of 

 anthophora emerge from the pupae sooner than the 

 females, and M. Fabre ascertained that, as they come out 

 of their galleries, the little sitaris larvae fasten upon 

 them. Not, however, for long : instinct teaches them 

 that they are not yet in the straight path of develop- 

 ment ; and, watching their opportunity, they pass from 



