THE ADVENTURES OF A GRUB 113 



grub on the surface of the honey. Never did experiment 

 break down so completely ! Far from eating the honey, 

 the grubs became entangled in the sticky mass and perished 

 in it, suffocated. 4 1 have offered you larvae, cells, honey ! ' 

 I cried in despair. ' Then what do you want, you fiendish 

 little creatures ? ' 



Well, in the end I found out what they wanted. They 

 wanted the Anthophora herself to carry them into the cells ! 



When April comes, as I said before, the heap of grubs at 

 the entrance to the Bees' cells begins to show signs of activity. 

 A few days later they are no longer there. Strange as it 

 may appear, they are all careering about the country, some- 

 times at a great distance, clinging like grim death to the 

 fleece of a Bee ! 



When the Anthophorse pass by the entrance to their 

 cells, on their way either in or out, the young Sitaris-grub, 

 who is lying in wait there, attaches himself to one of the Bees. 

 He wriggles into the fur and clutches it so firmly that he 

 need not fear a fall during the long journeys of the insect 

 that carries him. By thus attaching himself to the Bee 

 the Sitaris intends to get himself carried, at the right moment, 

 into a cell supplied with honey. 



One might at first sight believe that these adventurous 

 grubs derive food for a time from the Bee's body. But not 

 at all. The young Sitares, embedded in the fleece, at right 

 angles to the body of the Anthophora, head inwards, tail 

 outwards, do not stir from the spot they have selected, a 

 point near the Bee's shoulders. We do not see them wander- 

 ing from spot to spot, exploring the Bee's body, seeking the 

 part where the skin is most delicate, as they would certainly 

 do if they were really feeding on the insect. On the con- 

 trary, they are always fixed on the toughest and hardest part 

 of the Bee's body, a little below the insertion of the wings, 

 or sometimes on the head ; and they remain absolutely 

 motionless, clinging to a single hair. It seems to me un- 

 deniable that the young Sitares settle on the Bee merely 



