216 BOMBAY DUCKS 



of time that the eggs require to hatch varies with 

 different species, and is often considerably longer than 

 the time occupied by the Rhynchium egg. 



The larva soon passes into the pupal state. It does 

 not spin a cocoon as the silkworm moth does. The 

 transformation into the imago or adult occupies less 

 than three weeks. As there is no cocoon, one might, 

 if the creature could live in the light, watch the won- 

 derful metamorphosis actually taking place, but light 

 appears to kill the pupa. About seventeen days after 

 the egg had been laid I dug out another pupa. It had 

 assumed the adult wasp-like form, was almost white in 

 colour, and looked what it was an unfinished wasp. 



Over the last cell I tied a piece of muslin to make 

 a cage into which the imago would have to fly on 

 leaving the nest, but I might have spared myself the 

 trouble. Twenty-five days after the closing of the cell, 

 I noticed that a hole had been gnawed in the muslin, 

 and, looking into the nest, I saw a hole through the 

 roof of the cell and knew that the wasp had flown. She 

 had been able to adapt herself to circumstances. She 

 had used her jaws, with which instinct had taught her 

 to rasp away the roof of her cell, to cut a hole in the 

 muslin, and thus gained her liberty. 



