THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



157 



which is nothing but the dust one sees in the nooks of an 

 ill-swept room, and which is generally mixed with sand 

 and portions of wool or silk, making the feet of the insect 

 coarse and misshapen, and giving the whole body a very 

 singular look." 



The Reduvius, nevertheless, is of a very slender form; 

 but to appreciate this one must give it a brush. In its 



97. Young of the Rcduvixts peraonatus ; the one covered with its tatters of fUist and spider- 

 tlireads, tiie other freed from these by brusliing-. 



disguise it moves very slowly as if overloaded by the 

 Aveight of its accoutrements, in order to take its prey by 

 smprise. But when it has thrown off its garment and 

 acquired its wings, it becomes active, and, as M. Figuier 

 happily says in his excellent work on insects, "We then 

 see it gaining its livelihood in open view." 



When an enemy little to be dreaded sneaks into a 

 hive of bees, the first sentinels that see it pierce it with 

 their stings, and in the twinkling of an eye eject the corpse 

 from the common dwelling. The work is not interrupted 

 by such an event. But if the aggressor be a strong and 

 heavy slug, matters go differently. A general agitation 

 seizes the workers, each one gets ready his weapon, 

 Avhirls round the invader, and pierces it with its dart. 

 Assailed with fury, wounded on all sides, and poisoned 



