The Great Cerceris 



searches supplied me with a second exception, 

 in the shape of Bothynoderus albidus; and 

 that is all. Is this predilection for a single 

 species adequately explained by the greater 

 flavour and succulence of the prey? Do the 

 grubs find in this monotonous diet juices 

 which suit them and which they would not 

 find elsewhere? I do not think so; and, if 

 Leon Dufour's Cerceris hunts every sort of 

 Buprestis without distinction, this is doubtless 

 because all the Buprestes possess the same 

 nutritive properties. But this must be gen- 

 erally the case with the Weevils also: their 

 nourishing qualities must be identical; and 

 then this surprising choice becomes only a 

 question of size and consequently of economy 

 of labour and time. Our Cerceris, the mam- 

 moth of her race, tackles the Ophthalmic Cle- 

 onus by preference because this Weevil is the 

 largest in our district and perhaps also the 

 commonest. But, if her favourite prey 

 should fail, she must fall back upon other 

 species, even though they be smaller, as is 

 proved by the two exceptions stated. 



Besides, she is far from being the only one 



to go hunting at the expense of the snouted 



clan, the Weevils. Many other Cerceres, 



according to their size, their strength and the 



27 



