444 
DISCURSIVE NOTES ON THE 
growing ichneumon larva consumes the whole of the interior 
of its host, and itself becomes adult. 
The ichneumons are commonly called parasites, but it is 
a question whether the use of this term for a creature which 
necessarily destroys its host is not straining it to a degree 
quite unlawful. Only there seems no other word. 
I noted a large ichneumon ovipositing upon a caterpillar, 
and it was interesting to see that it firmly grasped the body 
of the caterpillar with its mandibles, standing astride over 
the length of its body while piercing it with the ovipositor, 
the unfortunate caterpillar jerking itself from side to side 
in the vain effort to shake off its foe. The ichneumon adopted 
precisely the same attitude as that of a Sphegid when stinging 
a caterpillar, which gave one cause for thought. 
The operations of the Fossors have long attracted much 
attention, owing to their complexity and uniqueness in the 
Animal Kingdom, and were long believed to illustrate the use 
of true intelligence and foresight. 
But now, thanks to the observations of such as the gifted 
French naturalist Henri Fabre, and Mr. and Mrs. Peckham 
in America, we know that there is no intelligence at all con- 
cerned in the matter. From beginning to end the whole 
complicated series of operations is simply a chain of events, 
each one of which, when finished, provides the necessary 
stimulus for the next which follows — nay, must follow, 
the insect being unable to help itself ! Thus, Fabre showed 
that if a Fossor be interrupted after she has dragged 
down the prey and deposited her egg on it, and the prey be 
withdrawn, on her return the insect will resume her work 
at the point she left off, and will fill up the burrow and smooth 
over the surface as if nothing had happened, when there was 
nothing in the burrow at all. Or, again, if the roof of a burrow 
of Bernbex — which, as has been said, brings fresh supplies daily, 
be dug away, leaving the helpless grub exposed to view among 
debris of legs and wings of flies — what does the mother do 
w T hen she returns ? Does she excavate a fresh burrow, carry 
down her offspring, and feed them ? Not a bit of it ! As 
Fabre remarked, ‘ For her they cease to exist.’ Since the 
stimulus supplied by alighting at the mouth of the closed 
