The Life of Jean Henri Fabre 



And the unfortunate observer cries, with 

 an emotion which he does not attempt to 

 conceal : 



Alas! It is no easy matter to experiment on the 

 public road, where, when the long-waited event 

 occurs at last, the arrival of a wayfarer is likely 

 to disturb or ruin opportunities that may never 

 return! 



But the entomological hero does not allow 

 himself to be discouraged by those unfortu- 

 nate encounters with the profane, nor does 

 he shrink from the humiliation which they 

 sometimes inflict upon him. The following 

 is a characteristic example: 



Ever since daybreak I have been ambushed, sit- 

 ting on a stone, at the bottom of a ravine. The 

 subject of my matutinal visit is the Languedocian 

 Sphex. Three women, vine-pickers, pass in a group, 

 on the way to their work. They give a glance at 

 the man seated, apparently absorbed in reflection. 

 At sunset the same pickers pass again, carrying 

 their full baskets on their heads. The man is still 

 there, sitting on the same stone, with his eyes fixed 

 on the same place. My motionless attitude, my 

 long persistency in remaining at that deserted spot, 

 must have impressed them deeply. As they passed 

 by me, I saw one of them tap her forehead and 

 heard her whisper to the others: 



J 36 



