Cerocomae, Mylabres and Zonites 



quicksands of error. And behold, the law 

 of the Meloidae has to be struck off the 

 statutes, a fate common to many others, as 

 this chapter will prove. 



On the 1 6th of July, 1883, I was digging, 

 with my son Emile, in the sandy heap where, 

 a few days earlier, I had been observing the 

 labours and the surgery of the Mantis-killing 

 Tachytes. My purpose was to collect a few 

 cocoons of this Digger-wasp. The cocoons 

 were turning up in^ abundance under my 

 pocket-trowel, when Emile presented me with 

 an unknown object. Absorbed in my task 

 of collection, I slipped the find into my box 

 without examining it further than with a 

 rapid glance. We left the spot. Half-way 

 home, the ardour of my search became as- 

 suaged; and a thought of the problematical 

 object, so negligently dropped into the box 

 among the cocoons, flashed across my mind. 



" Hullo 1" I said to myself. "Suppose 

 it were that? Why not? But, no, yes, it 

 is that; that's just what it is!" 



Then, suddenly turning to Emile, who was 

 rather surprised by this soliloquy: 



" My boy," I said, " you have had a mag- 

 nificent find. It's a pseudochrysalis of the 

 Meloidae. It's a document of incalculable 

 value; you've struck a fresh vein in the ex- 

 145 



