The Hunting Wasps 



ventral joint. I next saw the assassin's abdo- 

 men slip under the Cleonus' belly, bend into a 

 curve and dart its poisoned lancet briskly, 

 two or three times, into the joint of the pro- 

 thorax, between the first and second pairs of 

 legs. All was over in a moment. Without 

 the least convulsive movement, without any 

 of that stretching of the limbs which accom- 

 panies an animal's death, the victim fell 

 motionless for all time, as though struck by 

 lightning. It was terribly and at the same 

 time wonderfully quick. The murderess 

 next turned the body on its back, placed her- 

 self belly to belly with it, with her legs on 

 either side, clasped it and flew away. Thrice 

 over I renewed the experiment, with my three 

 Weevils; and the process never varied. 



Of course I gave the Cerceris back her first 

 prey each time and withdrew my own Cleonus 

 to examine him at my leisure. The in- 

 spection but confirmed my high opinion of 

 the assassin's formidable skill. It was im- 

 possible to perceive the least sign of a wound, 

 the slightest flow of vital fluid at the point 

 attacked. But what was most striking 

 and justly so was the prompt and com- 

 plete annihilation of all movement. Im- 

 mediately after the murder, I sought in vain 

 40 



