24-0 
NATURAL HISTORY, 
fmaller fpecies. The males perform their 
courtihips in the moft paffionate and gallant 
manner. The pofterior part of the females 
is armed with a wimble, vifible in fome fpe- 
cies, no ways difcoverable in others ; and 
that inftrument, though fo fine, is able to 
pen^rate through mortar and plafter. The 
ftruaure of it is more eafily feen in the long- 
wimbled fly. The food of the family to 
be produced by this fly, is the larva of wafps, 
or mafon-becs ; for it no fooner perceives 
one of thofe nefls, than it fixes on it with its 
wimble, and bores through the mortar of 
which it is built. The wimble itfelf, of an 
admirable flructure, confifls of three pieces: 
two collateral ones, hollowed out into a gut- 
ter, ferve as a flieath ; and contain a com- 
paft, folid, and dentated ftem ; along which 
runs a groove, that conveys the egg from 
the animal, which fupports the wimble with 
its hinder legs, left it fliould break ; and, by 
a variety of movements, which it dextroul- 
ly performs, it bores through the building, 
and depofits one or more eggs, according to'* 
the fizeof’the Ichneumon, though the largeft 
drop but one or two. Some agglutinate 
their eggs upon caterpillars eggs, though ve- 
ry hard, and depofit their own in the inlide : 
w'hen the larva is hatched, its head is fo fitu- 
ated that it pierces the caterpillar, and pe- 
netrates to Its very entrails : thefe larv:e 
pump out the nutritious juices of the cater- 
pillar, without attacking the vitals of the 
creature •, 
