The Wisdom of Instinct 1 5 1 



thing to offer her in the place of her prize ! 

 Try it for yourself, try setting out in quest of 

 an alternative piece with only a few minutes 

 at your disposal, when it took me three days 

 of wild running about before I found Weevils 

 for my Cerceres ! And yet I made the desper- 

 ate experiment twice over. Ah, if the keeper 

 had caught me this time, tearing like mad 

 through the vineyards, what a good oppor- 

 tunity it would have been for crediting me 

 with robbery and having me up before the 

 magistrate ! Vine-branches and clusters of 

 grapes : not a thing did I respect in my mad 

 rush, hampered by the trailing shoots. I must 

 have an Ephippiger at all costs, I must have 

 him that moment. And once I did get my 

 Ephippiger during one of these frenzied expedi- 

 tions. I was radiant with joy, never suspecting 

 the bitter disappointment in store for me. 



If only I arrive in time, if only the Sphex 

 be still engaged in transport work ! Thank 

 heaven, everything is in my favour ! The 

 Wasp is still some distance away from her 

 burrow and still dragging her prize along. 

 With my forceps I pull gently at it from behind. 

 The huntress resists, stubbornly clutches the 

 antennae of her victim and refuses to let go. I 

 pull harder, even drawing the carter back as 

 well ; it makes no difference : the Sphex does 



