The Odyneri 



hanging egg at my leisure, with the greater 

 convenience of observation which is possible 

 at home. With the egg of Eumenes Amadei 

 this was all but impracticable, because of the 

 cell, which could not be moved together 

 with the block that most often serves as its 

 foundation. A house of this kind demands 

 observation on the spot. The Odynerus' 

 dwelling does not present the same draw- 

 back. When a cell is laid bare and found 

 to be in the condition which I desire, I dig 

 round it with the point of a knife until I 

 detach a cylinder of earth containing the 

 cell, which is reduced to an open trough, so 

 as to conceal nothing of what is to happen 

 inside. The victuals are extracted piece- 

 meal, with every care, and decanted sepa- 

 rately into a glass tube. I shall thus 

 avoid the accidents that might be occasioned 

 by the swarming heap of grubs during the 

 inevitable shaking of the journey. The 

 egg alone remains, swinging in the empty 

 enclosure. A large tube receives the cyl- 

 inder of earth, which is wedged in position 

 with pads of cotton-wool. I place my 

 booty in a tin box and carry it in my hand 

 in such a position that the egg hangs vert- 

 ically without striking against the walls of 

 the cell. 



47 



