The Three Dagger-thrusts 



neck, next into the joint of the front two seg- 

 ments of the thorax and lastly towards the 

 abdomen. In less time than it takes to re- 

 late, the murder is consummated; and the 

 Sphex, after adjusting the disorder of her 

 toilet, makes ready to haul home the victim, 

 whose limbs are still quivering in the throes 

 of death. 



Let us consider for a moment the excel- 

 lence of the tactics of which I have given a 

 feeble glimpse. The Cerceris attacks a 

 passive adversary, incapable of flight, almost 

 devoid of offensive weapons, whose sole 

 chances of safety lie in a stout cuirass, the 

 weak point of which, however, is known to 

 the murderess. But what a difference here ! 

 The quarry is armed with dreadful mandibles, 

 capable of disembowelling the assailant if 

 they succeed in seizing her; it sports a pair 

 of powerful legs, regular clubs bristling with 

 a double row of sharp spikes, which can be 

 used either to enable the Cricket to hop out 

 of his enemy's reach, or to send her sprawl- 

 ing with brutal kicks. Observe therefore 

 the precautions which the Sphex takes before 

 setting her sting in motion. The victim, 

 turned upon his back, cannot, for lack of any 

 purchase, use his hind-levers to escape with, 

 83 



