The Great Cerceris 33 



and how does it enter the Weevil's body, which 

 is covered with a hard and well-riveted cuirass ? 

 In the various insects pierced by the assassin's 

 dart, nothing, even under the magnifying-glass, 

 betrayed her method. It became a matter, 

 therefore, of discovering the murderous man- 

 oeuvres of the Wasp by direct observation, a 

 problem whose difficulties had made Leon 

 Dufour recoil and whose solution seemed to 

 me for a time undiscoverable. I tried, how- 

 ever, and had the satisfaction of succeeding, 

 though not without some preliminary groping. 



When flying from their caverns, intent upon 

 the chase, the Cerceres would take any direc- 

 tion indifferently, turning now this way, now 

 that ; and they would come back, laden with 

 their prey, from all quarters. Every part of 

 the neighbourhood must therefore have been 

 explored without distinction ; but, as the 

 huntresses were hardly more than ten minutes 

 in coming and going, the radius worked could 

 not be one of great extent, especially when we 

 allow for the time necessary for the insect to 

 discover its prey, to attack it and to reduce it 

 to an inert mass. I therefore set myself to in- 

 spect the adjacent ground with every possible 

 attention, in the hope of finding a few Cerceres 

 engaged in hunting. An afternoon devoted to 

 this thankless task ended by persuading me of 



