Well,howcanthismultitudeofvariedinstinctsteachusanythingaboutgradualtransformation？Willtheoneandonlydagger—thrustoftheCercerisandtheScoliatakeustothetwothrustsoftheCalicurgus,tothethreethrustsoftheSphex,tothemanifoldthrustoftheAmmophila？Yes,ifweconsideronlynumericalprogression。Oneandonearetwo;twoandonearethree:sorunthefigures。Butisthiswhatwewanttoknow？Whathasarithmetictodowiththecase？
Isnotthewholeproblemsubordinatetoaconditionthatcannotbetranslatedintocyphers？Asthepreychanges,theanatomychanges;
andthesurgeonalwaysoperateswithacompleteunderstandingofhissubject。Thesingledagger—thrustisadministeredtogangliacollectedintoacommoncluster;themanifoldthrustsaredistributedoverthescatteredganglia;ofthetwothrustsoftheTarantula—
huntress,onedisarmsandtheotherparalyses。Andsowiththeothers:thatistosay,theinstinctisdirectedeachtimebythesecretsofthenervousorganism。Thereisaperfectharmonybetweentheoperationandthepatient\'sanatomy。
ThesinglestrokeoftheScoliaisnolesswonderfulthantherepeatedstrokesoftheAmmophila。Eachhasherappointedgameandeachslaysitbyamethodasrationalasanythatourownsciencecouldinvent。Inthepresenceofthisconsummateknowledge,whichleavesusutterlyconfounded,whatapoorargumentisthatof11=
2！Andwhatisthatprogressbyunitstous？Theuniverseismirroredinadropofwater;universallogicflashesintosightinasinglesting。
Besides,pushonthepitifulargument。Oneleadstotwo,twoleadtothree。Grantedwithoutdispute。Andthen？WewillaccepttheScoliaasthepioneer,thefoundressofthefirstprinciplesoftheart。
Thesimplicityofhermethodjustifiesoursupposition。Shelearnshertradeinsomewayorother,byaccident;sheknowssupremelywellhowtoparalyseherCetonia—grubwithasingledagger—thrustdrivenintothethorax。Oneday,throughsomefortuitouscircumstance,orratherbymistake,shetakesitintoherheadtostriketwoblows。AsoneisenoughfortheCetonia,therepetitionwasofnovalueunlesstherewasachangeofprey。Whatwasthenewvictimsubmittedtothebutcher\'sknife？Apparently,alargeSpider,sincetheTarantulaandtheGardenSpidercallfortwothrusts。AndtheprenticeScolia,whousedatfirsttostingunderthethroat,hadtheskill,atherfirstattempt,tobeginbydisarmingheradversaryandthentogoquitelowdown,almosttotheendofthethorax,tostrikethevitalpoint。I
amutterlyincredulousastohersuccess。Iseehereatenupifherlancetswervesandhitsthewrongspot。Letuslookimpossibilityboldlyinthefaceandadmitthatshesucceeds。Ithenseetheoffspring,whichhavenorecollectionofthefortunateeventsavethroughthebelly——andthenwearepostulatingthatthedigestionofthecarnivorouslarvaleavesatraceinthememoryofthehoney—
sippinginsect——Iseetheoffspring,Isay,obligedtowaitatlongintervalsforthatinspireddoublethrustandobligedtosucceedeachtimeunderpainofdeathforthemandtheirdescendants。Toacceptthishostofimpossibilitiesexceedsallmyfacultiesofbelief。Oneleadstotwo,nodoubt;theSsingleblowofthepredatoryWaspwillneverleadtotheblowtwicedelivered。
Inordertolive,weallrequiretheconditionsthatenableustolive:thisisatruthworthyofthefamousaxiomsofLaPalice。
（JacquesdeChabannes,SeigneurdeLaPalice（circa1470—1525）,wasaFrenchcaptainkilledatthebattleofPavia。Hissoldiersmadeupinhishonouraballad,twolinesofwhich,translated,run:
Fifteenminutesbeforehedied,Hewasstillalive。
HencetheFrenchexpression,uneveritedeLaPalice,meaninganobvioustruth。——Translator\'sNote。）
Thepredatoryinsectslivebytheirtalent。Iftheydonotpossessittoperfection,theirraceislost。Hiddeninthemurkofthepastages,theargumentbaseduponthenon—existenceoffossilinstinctisnobetterablethantheotherstowithstandthelightoflivingrealities;itcrumblesunderthestrokeoffate;itvanishesbeforeaLaPaliceplatitude。
CHAPTER12。THEHALICTI:APARASITE。
DoyouknowtheHalicti？Perhapsnot。Thereisnogreatharmdone:itisquitepossibletoenjoythefewsweetsofexistencewithoutknowingtheHalicti。Nevertheless,whenquestionedpersistently,thesehumblecreatureswithnohistorycantellussomeverysingularthings;andtheiracquaintanceisnottobedisdainedifwewouldenlargeourideasuponthebewilderingswarmofthisworld。Sincewehavenothingbettertodo,letuslookintotheHalicti。Theyareworththetrouble。
Howshallwerecognizethem？Theyaremanufacturersofhoney,generallylongerandslighterthantheBeeofourhives。Theyconstituteanumerousgroupthatvariesgreatlyinsizeandcolouring。SometherearethatexceedthedimensionsoftheCommonWasp;othersmightbecomparedwiththeHouse—fly,orareevensmaller。Inthemidstofthisvariety,whichisthedespairofthenovice,onecharacteristicremainsinvariable。EveryHalictuscarriestheclearly—writtencertificateofherguild。
Examinethelastring,atthetipoftheabdomen,onthedorsalsurface。IfyourcapturebeanHalictus,therewillbehereasmoothandshinyline,anarrowgroovealongwhichthestingslidesupanddownwhentheinsectisonthedefensive。ThisslidefortheunsheathedweapondenotessomememberoftheHalictustribe,withoutdistinctionofsizeorcolour。Noelsewhere,inthesting—bearingorder,isthisoriginalsortofgrooveinuse。Itisthedistinctivemark,theemblemofthefamily。
ThreeHalictiwillappearbeforeyouinthisbiographicalfragment。
Twoofthemaremyneighbours,myfamiliars,whorarelyfailtosettleeachyearinthebestpartsoftheenclosure。TheyoccupiedthegroundbeforeIdid;andIshouldnotdreamofevictingthem,persuadedasIamthattheywillwellrepaymyindulgence。Theirproximity,whichallowsmetovisitthemdailyatmyleisure,isapieceofgoodluck。Letusprofitbyit。
AttheheadofmythreesubjectsistheZebraHalictus（H。zebrus,WALCK。）,whichisbeautifullybeltedaroundherlongabdomenwithalternateblackandpale—russetscarves。Herslendershape,hersize,whichequalsthatoftheCommonWasp,hersimpleandprettydress,combinetomakeherthechiefrepresentativeofthegenushere。
Sheestablisheshergalleriesinfirmsoil,wherethereisnodangeroflandslipswhichwouldinterferewiththeworkatnesting—time。Inmygarden,thewell—levelledpaths,madeofamixtureoftinypebblesandredclayeyearth,suitshertoperfection。Everyspringshetakespossessionofit,neveralone,butingangswhosenumbervariesgreatly,amountingsometimestoasmanyasahundred。Inthiswayshefoundswhatmaybedescribedassmalltownships,eachclearlymarkedoutanddistantfromtheother,inwhichthejointpossessionofthesiteinnowayentailsjointwork。
Eachhasherhome,aninviolablemanorwhichnonebuttheownerhastherighttoenter。Asoundbuffetingwouldsooncalltoorderanyadventuresswhodaredtomakeherwayintoanother\'sdwelling。NosuchindiscretionissufferedamongtheHalicti。Leteachkeeptoherownplaceandtoherselfandperfectpeacewillreigninthisnew—
formedsociety,madeupofneighboursandnotoffellow—workers。
OperationsbegininApril,mostunobtrusively,theonlysignoftheundergroundworksbeingthelittlemoundsoffreshearth。Thereisnoanimationinthebuilding—yards。Thelabourersshowthemselvesveryseldom,sobusyaretheyatthebottomoftheirpits。Atmoments,hereandthere,thesummitofatinymole—hillbeginstototterandtumblesdowntheslopesofthecone:itisaworkercomingupwithherarmfulofrubbishandshootingitoutside,withoutshowingherselfintheopen。Nothingmoreforthemoment。
Thereisoneprecautiontobetaken:thevillagesmustbeprotectedagainstthepassers—by,whomightinadvertentlytramplethemunderfoot。Isurroundeachofthemwithapalisadeofreed—stumps。InthecentreIplantadanger—signal,apostwithapaperflag。Thesectionsofthepathsthusmarkedareforbiddenground;noneofthehouseholdwillwalkuponthem。
Mayarrives,gaywithflowersandsunshine。ThenavviesofAprilhaveturnedthemselvesintoharvesters。AteverymomentIseethemsettling,allbeflouredwithyellow,atopofthemole—hillsnowturnedintocraters。Letusfirstlookintothequestionofthehouse。Thearrangementofthehomewillgiveussomeusefulinformation。Aspadeandathree—prongedforkplacetheinsect\'scryptsbeforeoureyes。
Ashaftasnearlyverticalaspossible,straightorwindingaccordingtotheexigenciesofasoilrichinflintyremains,descendstoadepthofbetweeneightandtwelveinches。AsitismerelyapassageinwhichtheonlythingnecessaryisthattheHalictusshouldfindaneasysupportincomingandgoing,thislongentrance—hallisroughanduneven。Aregularshapeandapolishedsurfacewouldbeoutofplacehere。Theseartisticrefinementsarereservedfortheapartmentsofheryoung。AllthattheHalictusmotherasksisthatthepassageshouldbeeasytogoupanddown,toascendordescendinahurry。Andsosheleavesitrugged。Itswidthisaboutthatofathicklead—pencil。
Arrangedonebyone,horizontallyandatdifferentheights,thecellsoccupythebasementofthehouse。Theyareovalcavities,three—
quartersofaninchlong,dugoutoftheclaymass。Theyendinashortbottle—neckthatwidensintoagracefulmouth。Theylookliketinyvaccine—phialslaidontheirsides。Allofthemopenintothepassage。
Theinsideoftheselittlecellshastheglossandpolishofastuccowhichourmostexperiencedplasterersmightenvy。Itisdiaperedwithfaintlongitudinal,diamond—shapedmarks。Thesearethetracesofthepolishing—toolthathasgiventhelastfinishtothework。Whatcanthispolisherbe？Noneotherthanthetongue,thatisobvious。TheHalictushasmadeatrowelofhertongueandlickedthewalldaintilyandmethodicallyinordertopolishit。
Thisfinalglazing,soexquisiteinitsperfection,isprecededbyatrimming—process。Inthecellsthatarenotyetstockedwithprovisions,thewallsaredottedwithtinydentslikethoseinathimble。Herewerecognizetheworkofthemandibles,whichsqueezetheclaywiththeirtips,compressitandpurgeitofanygrainsofsand。Theresultisamilledsurfacewhereonthepolishedlayerwillfindasolidadhesivebase。Thislayerisobtainedwithafineclay,verycarefullyselectedbytheinsect,purified,softenedandthenappliedatombyatom,afterwhichthetrowelofthetonguestepsin,diaperingandpolishing,whilesaliva,disgorgedasneeded,givespliancytothepasteandfinallydriesintoawaterproofvarnish。
Thehumidityofthesubsoil,atthetimeofthespringshowers,wouldreducethelittleearthenalcovetoasortofpap。Thecoatingofsalivaisanexcellentpreservativeagainstthisdanger。Itissodelicatethatwesuspectratherthanseeit;butitsefficacyisnonethelessevident。Ifillacellwithwater。Theliquidremainsinitquitewell,withoutanytraceofinfiltration。
Thetinypitcherlooksasifitwerevarnishedwithgalenite。TheimpermeabilitywhichthepotterobtainsbythebrutalinfusionofhismineralingredientstheHalictusachieveswiththesoftpolisherofhertonguemoistenedwithsaliva。Thusprotected,thelarvawillenjoyalltheadvantagesofadryberth,eveninrain—soakedground。
Shouldthewishseizeus,itiseasytodetachthewaterprooffilm,atleastinshreds。Takethelittleshapelesslumpinwhichacellhasbeenexcavatedandputitinsufficientwatertocoverthebottomofit。Thewholeearthymasswillsoonbesoakedandreducedtoamudwhichweareabletosweepwiththepointofahair—pencil。Letushavepatienceanddooursweepinggently;andweshallbeabletoseparatefromthemainbodythefragmentsofasortofextremelyfinesatin。Thistransparent,colourlessmaterialistheupholsterythatkeepsoutthewet。TheSpider\'sweb,ifitformedastuffandnotanet,istheonlythingthatcouldbecomparedwithit。
TheHalictus\'nurseriesare,aswesee,structuresthattakemuchtimeinthemaking。Theinsectfirstdigsintheclayeyeartharecesswithanovalcurvetoit。Ithasitsmandiblesforapick—axeanditstarsi,armedwithtinyclaws,forrakes。Roughthoughitbe,thisearlyworkpresentsdifficulties,fortheBeehastodoherexcavatinginanarrowgully,wherethereisonlyjustroomforhertopass。
Therubbishsoonbecomescumbersome。Theinsectcollectsitandthen,movingbackwards,withitsfore—legsclosedovertheload,ithoistsitupthroughtheshaftandflingsitoutside,uponthemole—hill,whichrisesbysomuchabovethethresholdoftheburrow。Nextcomethedaintyfinishing—touches:themillingofthewall,theapplicationofaglazeofbetter—qualityclay,theassiduouspolishingwiththelong—sufferingtongue,thewaterproofcoatingandthejarlikemouth,amasterpieceofpotteryinwhichthestopping—
plugwillbefixedwhenthetimecomesforlockingthedooroftheroom。Andallthishastobedonewithmathematicalprecision。
No,becauseofthisperfection,thegrubs\'chamberscouldneverbeworkdonecasuallyfromdaytoday,astheripeeggsdescendfromtheovaries。Theyarepreparedlongbeforehand,duringthebadweather,attheendofMarchandinApril,whenflowersarescarceandthetemperaturesubjecttosuddenchanges。Thisthanklessperiod,oftencold,liabletohail—storms,isspentinmakingreadythehome。Aloneatthebottomofhershaft,whichsherarelyleaves,themotherworksatherchildren\'sapartments,lavishinguponthemthosefinishing—
toucheswhichleisureallows。Theyarecompleted,orverynearly,whenMaycomeswiththeradiantsunshineandwealthofflowers。
Weseetheevidenceoftheselongpreparationsintheburrowsthemselves,ifweinspectthembeforetheprovisionsarebrought。Allofthemshowuscells,aboutadozeninnumber,quitefinished,butstillempty。Tobeginbygettingallthehutsbuiltisasensibleprecaution:themotherwillnothavetoturnasidefromthedelicatetaskofharvestingandegg—layinginordertoperformroughnavvy\'swork。
EverythingisreadybyMay。Theairisbalmy;thesmilinglawnsaregaywithathousandlittleflowers,dandelions,rock—roses,tansiesanddaisies,amongwhichtheharvestingBeerollsgleefully,coveringherselfwithpollen。Withhercropfullofhoneyandthebrushesofherlegsbefloured,theHalictusreturnstohervillage。Flyingverylow,almostlevelwiththeground,shehesitates,withsuddenturnsandbewilderedmovements。Itseemsthattheweak—sightedinsectfindsitswaywithdifficultyamongthecottagesofitslittletownship。
Whichisitsmole—hillamongthemanyothersnear,allsimilarinappearance？Itcannottellexactlysavebythesign—boardofcertaindetailsknowntoitselfalone。Therefore,stillonthewing,tackingfromsidetoside,itexaminesthelocality。Thehomeisfoundatlast:theHalictusalightsonthethresholdofherabodeanddivesintoitquickly。
WhathappensatthebottomofthepitmustbethesamethingthathappensinthecaseoftheotherWildBees。Theharvesterentersacellbackwards;shefirstbrushesherselfanddropsherloadofpollen;then,turninground,shedisgorgesthehoneyinhercropupontheflourymass。Thisdone,theunweariedoneleavestheburrowandfliesaway,backtotheflowers。Aftermanyjourneys,thestackofprovisionsinthecellissufficient。Thisisthemomenttobakethecake。
Themotherkneadsherflour,minglesitsparinglywithhoney。Themixtureismadeintoaroundloaf,thesizeofapea。Unlikeourownloaves,thisonehasthecrustinsideandthecrumboutside。Themiddlepartoftheroll,therationwhichwillbeconsumedlast,whenthegrubhasacquiredsomestrength,consistsofalmostnothingbutdrypollen。TheBeekeepsthedaintiesinhercropfortheoutsideoftheloaf,whencethefeeblegrub—wormistotakeitsfirstmouthfuls。
Hereitisallsoftcrumb,adelicioussandwichwithplentyofhoney。
Thelittlebreakfast—rollisarrangedinringsregulatedaccordingtotheageofthenurseling:firstthesyrupyoutsideandattheveryendthedryinside。ThusitisordainedbytheeconomicsoftheHalictus。
Aneggbentlikeabowislaiduponthesphere。Accordingtothegenerally—acceptedrule,itnowonlyremainstoclosethecabin。
Honey—gatherers——Anthophorae,Osmiae,Mason—beesandmanyothers——
usuallyfirstcollectasufficientstockoffoodandthen,havinglaidtheegg,shutupthecell,towhichtheyneedpaynomoreattention。TheHalictiemployadifferentmethod。Thecompartments,eachwithitsroundloafanditsegg——thetenantandhisprovisions——
arenotclosedup。Astheyallopenintothecommonpassageoftheburrow,themotherisable,withoutleavingherotheroccupations,toinspectthemdailyandenquiretenderlyintotheprogressofherfamily。Iimagine,withoutpossessinganycertainproof,thatfromtimetotimeshedistributesadditionalprovisionstothegrubs,fortheoriginalloafappearstomeaveryfrugalrationcomparedwiththatservedbytheotherBees。
CertainhuntingHymenoptera,theBembex—wasps,forinstance,areaccustomedtofurnishtheprovisionsininstalments:sothatthegrubmayhavefreshthoughdeadgame,theyfilltheplattereachday。TheHalictusmotherhasnotthesedomesticnecessities,asherprovisionskeepmoreeasily;butstillshemightwelldistributeasecondportionofflourtothelarvae,whentheirappetiteattainsitsheight。Icanseenothingelsetoexplaintheopendoorsofthecellsduringthefeeding—period。
Atlastthegrubs,close—watchedandfedtorepletion,haveachievedtherequisitedegreeoffatness;theyareontheeveofbeingtransformedintopupae。Thenandnottillthenthecellsareclosed:
abigclaystopperisbuiltbythemotherintothespreadingmouthofthejug。Henceforththematernalcaresareover。Therestwillcomeofitself。
Hithertowehavewitnessedonlythepeacefuldetailsofthehousekeeping。Letusgobackalittleandweshallbewitnessesoframpantbrigandage。InMay,Ivisitmymostpopulousvillagedaily,ataboutteno\'clockinthemorning,whenthevictualling—operationsareinfullswing。Seatedonalowchairinthesun,withmybackbentandmyarmsuponmyknees,Iwatch,withoutmoving,untildinner—time。Whatattractsmeisaparasite,atrumperyGnat,thebolddespoileroftheHalictus。
Hasthejadeaname？Itrustso,without,however,caringtowastemytimeinenquiriesthatcanhavenointerestforthereader。Factsclearlystatedarepreferabletothedryminutiaeofnomenclature。
Letmecontentmyselfwithgivingabriefdescriptionoftheculprit。
SheisaDipteron,orFly,fivemillimetreslong。（。195inch。——
Translator\'sNote。）Eyes,dark—red;face,white。Corselet,pearl—
grey,withfiverowsoffineblackdots,whicharetherootsofstiffbristlespointingbackwards。Greyishbelly,palebelow。Blacklegs。
Sheaboundsinthecolonyunderobservation。Crouchinginthesun,nearaburrow,shewaits。AssoonastheHalictusarrivesfromherharvesting,herlegsyellowwithpollen,theGnatdartsforthandpursuesher,keepingbehindherinalltheturnsofheroscillatingflight。Atlast,theBeesuddenlydivesindoors。Nolesssuddenlytheothersettlesonthemole—hill,quiteclosetotheentrance。
Motionless,withherheadturnedtowardsthedoorofthehouse,shewaitsfortheBeetofinishherbusiness。Thelatterreappearsatlastand,forafewseconds,standsonthethreshold,withherheadandthoraxoutsidethehole。TheGnat,onherside,doesnotstir。
Often,theyarefacetoface,separatedbyaspacenowiderthanafinger\'sbreadth。Neitherofthemshowstheleastexcitement。TheHalictus——judging,atleast,byhertranquillity——takesnonoticeoftheparasitelyinginwaitforher;theparasite,ontheotherhand,displaysnofearofbeingpunishedforheraudacity。Sheremainsimperturbable,she,thedwarf,inthepresenceofthecolossuswhocouldcrushherwithoneblow。
InvainIwatchanxiouslyforsomesignofapprehensiononeitherside:nothingintheHalictuspointstoaknowledgeofthedangerrunbyherfamily;nordoestheGnatbetrayanydreadofswiftretribution。Plundererandplunderedstareateachotherforamoment;andthatisall。
Ifsheliked,theamiablegiantesscouldripupwithherclawthetinybanditwhoruinsherhome;shecouldcrunchherwithhermandibles,runherthroughwithherstiletto。Shedoesnothingofthesort,butleavestherobberinpeace,tositquiteclose,motionless,withherredeyesfixedonthethresholdofthehouse。Whythisfatuousclemency？
TheBeefliesoff。Forthwith,theGnatwalksin,withnomoreceremonythanifshewereenteringherownplace。Shenowchoosesamongthevictualledcellsatherease,fortheyareallopen,asI
havesaid;sheleisurelydepositshereggs。NoonewilldisturbheruntiltheBee\'sreturn。Toflourone\'slegswithpollen,todistendone\'scropwithsyrupisataskthattakeslonga—doing;andtheintruder,therefore,hastimeandtosparewhereintocommitherfelony。Moreover,herchronometeriswell—regulatedandgivestheexactmeasureoftheBee\'slengthofabsence。WhentheHalictuscomesbackfromthefields,theGnathasdecamped。Insomefavourablespot,notfarfromtheburrow,sheawaitstheopportunityforafreshmisdeed。
WhatwouldhappenifaparasiteweresurprisedatherworkbytheBee？Nothingserious。Iseethem,greatlydaring,followtheHalictusrightintothecaveandremainthereforsometimewhilethemixtureofpollenandhoneyisbeingprepared。Unabletomakeuseofthepastesolongastheharvesteriskneadingit,theygobacktotheopenairandwaitonthethresholdfortheBeetocomeout。Theyreturntothesunlight,calmly,withunhurriedsteps:aclearproofthatnothinguntowardhasoccurredinthedepthswheretheHalictusworks。
AtapontheGnat\'sneck,ifshebecometooenterprisingintheneighbourhoodofthecake:thatisallthattheladyofthehouseseemstoallowherself,todriveawaytheintruder。Thereisnoseriousaffraybetweentherobberandtherobbed。Thisisapparentfromtheself—possessedmannerandundamagedconditionofthedwarfwhoreturnsfromvisitingthegiantessengageddownintheburrow。
TheBee,whenshecomeshome,whetherladenwithprovisionsornot,hesitates,asIhavesaid,forawhile;inaseriesofrapidzigzags,shemovesbackwards,forwardsandfromsidetoside,atashortdistancefromtheground。Thisintricateflightatfirstsuggeststheideathatsheistryingtoleadherpersecutressastraybymeansofaninextricabletangleofmarchesandcountermarches。ThatwouldcertainlybeaprudentmoveontheBee\'spart;butsomuchwisdomappearstobedeniedher。
Itisnottheenemythatisdisturbingher,butratherthedifficultyoffindingherownhouseamidtheconfusionofthemole—hills,encroachingoneupontheother,andallthealleysofthelittletownship,which,owingtolandslipsoffreshrubbish,alterinappearancefromonedaytothenext。Herhesitationismanifest,forsheoftenblundersandalightsattheentrancetoaburrowthatisnothers。Themistakeisatonceperceivedfromtheslightindicationsofthedoorway。
Thesearchisresumedwiththesamesee—sawingflights,mingledwithsuddenexcursionstoadistance。Atlast,theburrowisrecognized。
TheHalictusdivesintoitwitharush;but,howeverpromptherdisappearanceunderground,theGnatisthere,perchedonthethresholdwithhereyesturnedtotheentrance,waitingfortheBeetocomeout,sothatshemayvisitthehoney—jarsinherturn。
Whentheownerofthehouseascends,theotherdrawsbackalittle,justenoughtoleaveafreepassageandnomore。Whyshouldsheputherselfout？themeetingissopeacefulthat,shortoffurtherinformation,onewouldnotsuspectthatadestroyeranddestroyedwerefacetoface。FarfrombeingintimidatedbythesuddenarrivaloftheHalictus,theGnatpayshardlyanyattention;and,inthesameway,theHalictustakesnonoticeofherpersecutress,unlessthebanditpursueherandworryheronthewing。Then,withasuddenbend,theBeemakesoff。
EvensodoPhilanthusapivorus（TheBee—huntingWasp。Cf。\"SocialLifeintheInsectWorld\":chapter13。——Translator\'sNote。）andtheothergame—huntersbehavewhentheTachinaisattheirheelsseekingthechancetolayhereggonthemorselabouttobestoredaway。
Withoutjostlingtheparasitewhichtheyfindhangingaroundtheburrow,theygoindoorsquitepeaceably;but,onthewing,perceivingherafterthem,theydartoffwildly。TheTachina,however,daresnotgodowntothecellswherethehuntressstacksherprovisions;sheprudentlywaitsatthedoorforthePhilanthustoarrive。Thecrime,thelayingoftheegg,iscommittedattheverymomentwhenthevictimisabouttovanishunderground。
ThetroublesoftheparasiteoftheHalictusareofquiteanotherkind。ThehomingBeehasherhoneyinhercropandherpollenonherleg—brushes:thefirstisinaccessibletothethief;thesecondispowderyandwouldgivenoresting—placetotheegg。Besides,thereisnotenoughofityet:tocollectthewherewithalforthatroundloafofhers,theBeewillhavetomakerepeatedjourneys。Whenthenecessaryamountisobtained,shewillkneaditwiththetipofhermandiblesandshapeitwithherfeetintoalittleball。TheGnat\'segg,wereitpresentamongthematerials,wouldcertainlybeindangerduringthismanipulation。
Thealienegg,therefore,mustbelaidonthefinishedbread;and,asthepreparationtakesplaceunderground,theparasiteisneedsobligedtogodowntotheHalictus。Withinconceivabledaring,shedoesgodown,evenwhentheBeeisthere。Whetherthroughcowardiceorsillyindulgence,thedispossessedinsectletstheotherhaveitsway。
TheobjectoftheGnat,withhertenaciouslying—in—waitandherrecklessburglaries,isnottofeedherselfattheharvester\'sexpense:shecouldgetherlivingoutoftheflowerswithmuchlesstroublethanherthievingtradeinvolves。Themost,Ithink,thatshecanallowherselftodointheHalictus\'cellarsistotakeonemorseljusttoascertainthequalityofthevictuals。Hergreat,hersolebusinessistosettleherfamily。Thestolengoodsarenotforherself,butforheroffspring。
Letusdigupthepollen—loaves。Weshallfindthemmostoftencrumbledwithnoregardtoeconomy,simplyfritteredaway。Weshallseetwoorthreemaggots,withpointedmouths,movingintheyellowflourscatteredoverthefloorofthecell。ThesearetheGnat\'sprogeny。Withthemwesometimesfindthelawfulowner,thegrub—wormoftheHalictus,butstuntedandemaciatedwithfasting。Hisgluttonouscompanions,withoutotherwisemolestinghim,deprivehimofthebestofeverything。Thewretchedstarvelingdwindles,shrivelsupandsoondisappearsfromview。Hiscorpse,amereatom,blendedwiththeremainingprovisions,suppliesthemaggotswithonemouthfulthemore。
AndwhatdoestheHalictusmotherdointhisdisaster？Sheisfreetovisithergrubsatanymoment;shehasbuttoputherheadintothepassageofthehouse:shecannotfailtobeapprisedoftheirdistress。Thesquanderedloaf,theswarmingmassofvermintelltheirowntale。Whydoesshenottaketheintrudersbytheskinoftheabdomen？Togrindthemtopowderwithhermandibles,toflingthemoutofdoorswerethebusinessofasecond。Andthefoolishcreatureneverthinksofit,leavestheravagersinpeace！