The Crioceres 



extermination. Kinsman's flesh or stranger's 

 flesh must be all one to the fangs of the ver- 

 min swarming in the Crioceris' belly. 



Fierce though the competition is among 

 these bandits, the Beetle's race does not 

 threaten to die out. I review the innumer- 

 able troop on my asparagus-bed. A good 

 half of them have Tachina-eggs plainly visi- 

 ble as tiny white specks on their green skins. 

 The blemished larvae tell me of a paunch 

 already or on the point of being invaded. 

 On the other hand, it is doubtful whether 

 those which are unscathed will all remain in 

 that condition. The malefactor is inces- 

 santly prowling around the green plumes, 

 watching for a favourable opportunity. 

 Many larvae free from white spots to-day 

 will show them to-morrow or some other day, 

 so long as the Fly's season lasts. 



I estimate that the vast majority of the 

 troop will end by being infested. My rear- 

 ing-experiments tell me much on this point. 

 If I do not make a careful selection when 

 I am stocking my wire-gauze-covers, if I go 

 to work at random in picking the branches 

 colonized with larvae, I obtain very few 

 adult Crioceres; nearly all of them are re- 

 solved into a cloud of Midges. 



If it were possible for us to wage war ef- 

 423 



