The Hunting Wasps 



I am sure that my readers will welcome an 

 extract from the essay that formed the start- 

 ing-point of my own researches, especially as 

 this extract is necessary for the due under- 

 standing of what follows. I will therefore let 

 the master speak for himself, abridging his 

 words in parts : ^ 



' In all insect history, I can think of no more 

 curious, no more extraordinary fact than that 

 which I am about to describe to you. It con- 

 cerns a species of Cerceris who feeds her family 

 on the most sumptuous species of the genus 

 Buprestis. Allow me to make you share the 

 vivid impressions which I owe to my study of 

 this Hymenopteron's habits. 



' In July 1839, a friend living in the country 

 sent me two specimens of Buprestis hifasciata, 

 an insect at that time new to my collection, 

 informing me that a kind of Wasp that was carry- 

 ing one of these pretty Beetles had let it fall on 

 his coat and that, a few moments later, a similar 

 Wasp had dropped another on the ground. 



' In Juty 1840, I was visiting my friend's 

 house professionally and reminded him of his 

 capture of the year before and asked for details 

 of the circumstances that accompanied it. 



^ For the complete monograph, cf. Annales des sciences 

 naturelles : Series II., vol. xv. — Author's Note. 



