312 THE WONDERS OF INSTINCT 



while, in view of my experiments, I keep under observa- 

 tion the whole swarm produced by one caterpillar. 



The adult Microgaster* appears a fortnight later, in 

 the middle of June. There are fifty in the first tube 

 examined. The riotous multitude is in the full enjoy- 

 ment of the pairing-season, for the two sexes always fig- 

 ure among the guests of any one caterpillar. What ani- 

 mation! What an orgy of love! The carnival of these 

 pigmies bewilders the observer and makes his head 

 swim. 



Most of the females, wishful of liberty, plunge down 

 to the waist between the glas9 of the tube and the 

 plug of cotton-wool that closes the end turned to the 

 light; but the lower halves remain free and form a 

 circular gallery in front of which the males hustle one 

 another, take one another's places and hastily operate. 

 Each bides his turn, each attends to his little matters for 

 a few moments and then makes way for his rivals and 

 goes off to start again elsewhere. The turbulent wedding 

 lasts all the morning and begins afresh next day, a mighty 

 throng of couples embracing, separating and embracing 

 once more. 



There is every reason to believe that, in gardens, the 

 mated ones, finding themselves in isolated couples, would 

 keep quieter. Here, in the tube, things degenerate into 

 a riot because the assembly is too numerous for the 

 narrow space. 



What is lacking to complete its happiness? Appar- 

 ently a little food, a few sugary mouthfuls extracted from 

 the flowers. I serve up some provisions in the tubes: 



