124 ^-^^ Hunting JVasps 



to the delights of sleep, the naturalist beholds 

 a subject for study : all this small folk making 

 holiday on the last flowers of the year will 

 perhaps furnish him with some fresh data. 

 Behold me then on observation duty before 

 the two clumps with their thousands of lilac 

 petals. 



The air is absolutely still, the sun blazing, 

 the atmosphere heavy : signs of an approach- 

 ing storm, but conditions eminently favourable 

 to the work of the Hymenoptera, who seem to 

 foresee to-morrow's rain and redouble their 

 activity to improve the opportunity. And so 

 the Bees plunder eagerly, while the Eristales 

 fly clumsily from flower to flower. At times, 

 the peaceable multitude, filling its crop with 

 nectar, is disturbed by the sudden invasion of 

 the Wasp, a ravening insect attracted hither by 

 prey, not honey. 



Equally ardent in carnage, but very unequal 

 in strength, two species divide the hunting 

 between them : the Common Wasp (Vespa 

 vulgaris), who catches Eristales, and the Hornet 

 {Vespa crabro), who preys on Hive-bees. The 

 methods are the same in either case. Both 

 bandits explore the expanse of flowers with an 

 impetuous flight, going backwards and forwards 

 in a thousand directions, and then make a 

 sudden rush for the coveted prey, which is on 



