The Fly-hunt 



depression, or an incompletely blocked porch 

 but certainly after she comes out, for, when 

 starting on an expedition, she never fails to 

 put a finishing touch to the result of the na- 

 tural landslip. Wait for her departure and 

 you shall see her, before flying off, sweep the 

 front of her door and level it with scrupulous 

 care. When she is gone, I defy the most 

 penetrating eye to find the entrance. To dis- 

 cover it again, when the sandy expanse was of 

 any size, I had to resort to a kind of trian- 

 gulation; and how often, after a few hours' 

 absence, did not my combinations of trian- 

 gles and my efforts of memory prove to be 

 at fault! All that remained was the stake, 

 a grass-stalk planted on the threshold; and 

 even this method was not always effective, 

 for the insect, with its passion for continually 

 improving the outside of the nest, often made 

 the bit of straw disappear from sight. 



307 



