230 The Htmting IVasps 



Swallows on the day before their common 

 departure ? Were they meeting-places whence 

 the swarm of Ladybirds was to make for some 

 district richer in edibles ? It is possible, but 

 it is also very extraordinary. The Ladybird 

 has rarely been noted as a devotee of travel. 

 She seems to us a very stay-at-home creature 

 when we see her butchering the Green-fly on 

 our rose-trees and the Black-fly on our beans ; 

 and yet, with her short wings, she holds plenary 

 assemblies, in immense numbers, on the summit 

 of Mont Ventoux, where the Martin himself 

 ascends only at moments of violent energy. 

 Wliy these meetings at such altitudes ? What 

 can be the reason of this predilection for blocks 

 of masonry ? 



