The Glow- Worm and Other Beetles 



that contains it, pierces the lid of the Antho- 

 phora's cell, enters a corridor and appears 

 outside in quest of the other sex. 



I have told how, while digging in search 

 of the Sitaris, I found two cells belonging to 

 Meloe cicatricosus. One contained an An- 

 thophora's egg; with this egg was a yellow 

 Louse, the primary larva of the Meloe. The 

 history of this tiny creature we know. The 

 second cell also was full of honey. On the 

 sticky liquid floated a little white larva, about 

 a sixth of an inch in length and very differ- 

 ent from the other little white larvae be- 

 longing to Sitares. The rapid fluctuations 

 of the abdomen showed that it was eagerly 

 drinking the strong-scented nectar collected 

 by the Bee. This larva was the young Meloe 

 in the second period of its development. 



I was not able to preserve these two 

 precious cells, which I had opened wide to 

 examine the contents. On my return from 

 Carpentras, I found that their honey had 

 been spilt by the motion of the carriage and 

 that their inhabitants were dead. On the 

 25th of June, a fresh visit to the nests of the 

 Anthophorae furnished me with two larvae 

 like the foregoing, but much larger. One of 

 them was on the point of finishing its store 

 of honey, the other still had nearly half left. 

 128 



