The Massacre of the Males 
perfume of honey the acrid odour of poison 
prevails; thousands of tiny drops glisten at 
the end of the stings, and diffuse rancour 
and hatred. Before the bewildered parasites 
are able to realise that the happy laws of the 
city have crumbled, dragging down in most 
inconceivable fashion their own plentiful 
destiny, each one is assailed by three or four 
envoys of justice ; and these vigorously pro- 
ceed to cut off his wings, saw through the 
petiole that connects the abdomen with the 
thorax, amputate the feverish antenne, and 
seek an opening between the rings of his 
cuirass through which to pass their sword. 
No defence is attempted by the enormous, 
but unarmed, creatures; they try to escape, 
or oppose their mere bulk to the blows that 
rain down upon them. Forced on to their 
back, with their relentless enemies clinging 
doggedly to them, they will use their 
powerful claws to shift them from side to 
side; or, turning on themselves, they will 
drag the whole group round and round in 
wild circles, which exhaustion soon brings to 
an end. And, in a very brief space, their 
appearance becomes so deplorable, that pity, 
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