Garden Spiders: Pairing and Hunting 



Cetonia- and Oryctcs-grubs. Even so Ac 

 other paralyzers. Each has her own victim 

 and knows nothing of any of the others. 



"Hie same exclusive tastes pre\Tul among the 

 slayers. Let us remember, in this connection, 

 Philtinthtts aphorus^ and, especially, the 

 Thomisus, the comely Spider who cuts Bees' 

 throats. They understand the fatal blow, 

 either in the netk or under the chin, a thing 

 which the Epeira does not understand; but, 

 just because of this talent, they are specialists. 

 Their province is the Domestic Bee. 



Animals are a htde like ourselves: they 

 excel in an art only on condition of special- 

 izing in it. The Epeira, who, being omniv- 

 orous, is obliged to generalize, abandons 

 scientific methods and makes up for this by 

 distilling a poison capable of producing torpor 

 and even death, no matter what the point 

 attadied. 



the Sphex. aad feeds her larvK on the grnbs of the 

 Cewnia, or Rose-chafer, and the Ormes, or RhhsocercK 

 Beede. Cf- Thg L-rr 3mJ Lorf iff J*' -'^'s^*"?. by T. Hoiri 

 Fabre. transited br Alexander Tdxeiia de Mattos: 

 diap. si — r'-JRi-.Jf^'r"^ _Vi^-v, 



translated by Bemaitl Miall: ciia?, xiiL, m which the 

 laioe is giren, by a printei's error, as Pk£amiii%s «ri- 



313 



