The Bembex 259 



a couple of millimetres ^ long. It is the egg of 

 the Bembex. As we expected from the mother's 

 behaviour, there is nothing urgent indoors : the 

 ^^'^ is laid and provided with a first ration 

 apportioned to the requirements of the feeble 

 grub which will hatch twenty-four hours hence. 

 The Bembex had no need to re-enter the under- 

 ground passage for some time and was confining 

 herself to keeping a good look-out all round, or 

 perhaps to digging fresh burrows and continuing 

 to lay her eggs, one by one, each in a cell to 

 itself. 



This peculiarity of beginning the provisioning 

 with a single head of small game is not confined 

 to the Rostrate Bembex. All the other species 

 do the same thing. If we open the cell of any 

 Bembex shortly after the ^^g is laid, we shall 

 always find the tiny cylinder glued to the side of 

 a Fly, who constitutes the entire provision ; 

 moreover, this initial ration is invariably small, 

 as though the mother went in search of the 

 tenderest mouthfuls for the feeble nurseling. 

 Besides, another reason, the abiding freshness 

 of the food, might easily prompt her to make 

 this choice. We will look into that later. This 

 first portion, always a scanty one, varies greatly 

 in nature, according to the frequency of this 

 or that kind of game in the neighbourhood of 



1 About "08 inch. — Translator's Note. 



