266 The Hunting Wasps 



On the third day of captivity the provisions 

 taken from the burrow were finished ; the grub 

 was rummaging with its pointed mouth among 

 the heap of remains without finding anything 

 to suit it ; the dry particles taken hold of, all 

 homy, juiceless bits, were rejected with disgust. 

 The moment has come for me to continue the 

 food supply. The first Flies within reach shall 

 form my prisoner's diet. I kill them by 

 pressing them in my fingers, but without 

 cmshing them. The first ration consists of 

 three Eristalis tenax and one Sarcophaga} 

 This is all gobbled up in twenty-four hours. 

 Next day I provide two Eristales, or Drone- 

 flies, and four House-flies. It was enough for 

 the day, but left nothing over. I went on like 

 this for eight days, giving the grub a larger 

 portion every morning. On the ninth day the 

 larva refused all food and began to spin its 

 cocoon. The full record of this eight days' 

 feast amounts to sixty-two pieces, composed 

 mainly of Drone-flies and House-flies, which, 

 added to the twenty items found whole or 

 in pieces in the cell, brings up the total to 

 eighty-two. 



It is possible that I did not rear my larva 

 with the wholesome frugality and the wise 



> Or Flesh-fly. Cf. The Life of the Fly: chap, x,— Translator's 

 Note. 



