The Great Cerceris 



But where and how does it enter the Weevil's 

 body, which is covered with a hard and well- 

 riveted cuirass? In the various insects 

 pierced by the assassin's dart, nothing, even 

 under the magnifying-glass, betrayed her 

 method. It became a matter, therefore, of 

 discovering the murderous manoeuvres of the 

 Wasp by direct observation, a problem whose 

 difficulties had made Leon Dufour recoil and 

 whose solution seemed to me for a time undis- 

 coverable. I tried, however, and had the 

 satisfaction of succeeding, though not with- 

 out some preliminary groping. 



When flying from their caverns, intent 

 upon the chase, the Cerceres would take 

 any direction indifferently, turning now this 

 way, now that; and they would come back, 

 laden with their prey, from all quar- 

 ters. Every part of the neighbourhood 

 must therefore have been explored with- 

 out distinction; but, as the huntresses were 

 hardly more than ten minutes in coming 

 and going, the radius worked could not be 

 one of great extent, especially when we allow 

 for the time necessary for the insect to dis- 

 cover its prey, to attack it and to reduce it to 

 an inert mass. I therefore set myself to 

 inspect the adjacent ground with every pos- 

 35 



