LetusnowshowuptheDioxys。Atthetimewhentheworkofconstructionisinprogress,sheisanimpudentvisitorofthenests,exploitingwiththesameeffronterytheenormouscitiesoftheMason-
beeoftheShedsandthesolitarycupolasoftheMason-beeofthePebbles。Aninnumerablepopulation,comingandgoing,hummingandbuzzing,strikesherwithnoawe。OnthetileshangingfromthewallsofmyporchIseeher,withherredscarfroundherbody,stalkingwithsublimeassuranceovertheridgedexpanseofnests。Herblackschemesleavetheswarmprofoundlyindifferent;notoneoftheworkersdreamsofchasingheroff,unlesssheshouldcomebotheringtooclosely。Eventhen,allthathappensisafewsignsofimpatienceonthepartofthehustledBee。Thereisnoseriousexcitement,noeagerpursuitssuchasthepresenceofamortalenemymightleadustosuspect。Theyarethereintheirthousands,eacharmedwithherdagger;anyoneofthemiscapableofslayingthetraitress;andnotoneattacksher。Thedangerisnotsuspected。
Meanwhile,sheinspectstheworkyard,movesfreelyamongtheranksoftheMasonsandbideshertime。Iftheownerbeabsent,Iseeherdivingintoacell,comingoutagainamomentlaterwithhermouthsmearedwithpollen。Shehasbeentotrytheprovisions。Adaintyconnoisseur,shegoesfromonestoretoanother,takingamouthfulofhoney。Isitatitheforherpersonalmaintenance,orasampletestedforthebenefitofhercominggrub?Ishouldnotliketosay。WhatI
doknowisthat,afteracertainnumberofthesetastings,Icatchherstoppinginacell,withherabdomenatthebottomandherheadattheorifice。Thisisthemomentoflaying,unlessIammuchmistaken。
Whentheparasiteisgone,Iinspectthehome。Iseenothingabnormalonthesurfaceofthemass。Thesharpereyeoftheowner,whenshegetsback,seesnothingeither,forshecontinuesthevictuallingwithoutbetrayingtheleastuneasiness。Astrangeegg,laidontheprovisions,wouldnotescapeher。Iknowhowcleanshekeepsherwarehouse;Iknowhowscrupulouslyshecastsoutanythingintroducedbymyagency:aneggthatisnothers,abitofstraw,agrainofdust。So,accordingtomyevidenceandthatoftheChalicodoma,whichismoreconclusive,theDioxys’segg,ifitisreallylaidthen,isnotplacedonthesurface。
Isuspect,withouthavingyetverifiedmysuspicion——andIreproachmyselffortheneglect——Isuspectthattheeggisburiedintheheapofpollen-dust。WhenIseetheDioxyscomeoutofacellwithhermouthalloveryellowflour,perhapsshehasbeensurveyingthegroundandpreparingahiding-placeforheregg。WhatItakeforameretastingmightwellbeamoreseriousact。Thusconcealed,theeggescapestheeagleeyeoftheBee,whereas,ifleftuncovered,itwouldinevitablyperish,wouldbeflungontherubbishheapatoncebytheownerofthenest。WhentheSpottedSapygalayshereggonthatoftheBramble-dwellingOsmia,shedoesthedeedundercoverofdarkness,inthegloomofadeepwelltowhichnottheleastrayoflightcanpenetrate;andthemother,returningwithherpelletofgreenputtytobuildtheclosingpartition,doesnotseetheusurpinggermandisignorantofthedanger。Buthereeverythinghappensinbroaddaylight;
andthisdemandsmorecunninginthemethodofinstallation。
Besides,itistheonefavourablemomentfortheDioxys。IfshewaitsfortheMason-beetolay,itistoolate,fortheparasiteisnotabletobreakdowndoors,astheStelisdoes。Assoonashereggislaid,theMason-beeoftheShedscomesoutofhercellandatonceturnsroundandproceedstocloseitupwiththepelletofmortarwhichsheholdsreadyinhermandibles。Thematerialisemployedwithsuchmethodthattheactualsealingisdoneinamoment:theotherpellets,theobjectofrepeatedjourneys,willservemerelytoincreasethethicknessofthelid。ThechamberisinaccessibletotheDioxysfromthefirsttouchofthetrowel。HenceitisabsolutelynecessaryforhertoseetohereggbeforetheMason-beeoftheShedshasdisposedofhersandnolessnecessarytoconcealitfromtheMason’swatchfuleye。
ThedifficultiesarenotsogreatinthenestsoftheMason-beeofthePebbles。AfterthisBeehaslaidheregg,sheleavesitforatimetogoinsearchofthecementneededforclosingthecell;or,ifshealreadyholdsapelletinhermandibles,thisisnotenoughtosealitproperly,astheorificeislarger。Morepelletsareneededtowalluptheentranceentirely。TheDioxyswouldhavetimetostrikeherblowduringthemother’sabsences;buteverythingseemstosuggestthatshebehavesonthepebblesasshedoesonthetiles。Shestealsamarchbyhidingtheegginthemassofpollenandhoney。
WhatbecomesoftheMason’seggconfinedinthesamecellwiththeeggoftheDioxys?InvainhaveIopenednestsateveryseason;IhaveneverfoundavestigeoftheeggnorofthegrubofeitherChalicodoma。TheDioxys,whetherasalarvaonthehoney,orenclosedinitscocoon,orastheperfectinsect,wasalwaysalone。Therivalhaddisappearedwithoutatrace。Asuspicionthereuponsuggestsitself;andthefactsaresocompellingthatthesuspicionisalmostequaltoacertainty。Theparasiticgrub,whichhatchesearlierthantheother,emergesfromitshiding-place,fromthemidstofthehoney,comestothesurfaceand,withitsfirstbite,destroystheeggoftheMason-bee,astheSapygadoestheeggoftheOsmia。Itisanodious,butasupremelyefficaciousmethod。Normustwecryouttooloudlyagainstsuchfoulplayonthepartofanewborninfant:weshallmeetwithevenmoreheinoustacticslater。Thecriminalrecordsoflifearefullofthesehorrorswhichwedarenotsearchtoodeeply。Aninfinitesimalcreature,abarely-visiblegrub,withtheswaddling-
clothesofitseggstillclingingtoit,isledbyinstinct,atitsfirstinspiration,toexterminatewhateverisinitsway。
SotheMason’seggisexterminated。WasitreallynecessaryintheDioxys’interest?Notintheleast。ThehoardofprovisionsistoolargeforitsrequirementsinacelloftheChalicodomaoftheSheds;
howmuchmoresoinacelloftheChalicodomaofthePebbles!Sheeatsnotahalf,hardlyathirdofit。Therestremainsasitwas,untouched。Weseehere,inthedestructionoftheMason’segg,aflagrantwastewhichaggravatesthecrime。Hungerexcusesmanythings;
forlackoffood,thesurvivorsontheraftoftheMedusaindulgedinalittlecannibalism;butherethereisenoughfoodandtospare。Whenthereismorethansheneeds,whatearthlymotiveimpelstheDioxystodestroyarivalinthegermstage?Whycannotsheallowthelarva,hermess-mate,totakeadvantageoftheremainsandafterwardstoshiftforitselfasbestitcan?Butno:theMason-bee’soffspringmustneedsbestupidlysacrificedonthetopofprovisionswhichwillonlygrowmouldyanduseless!IshouldbereducedtothegloomylucubrationsofaSchopenhauerifIonceletmyselfbeginonparasitism。
SuchisabriefsketchofthetwoparasitesoftheChalicodomaofthePebbles,trueparasites,consumersofprovisionshoardedonbehalfofothers。TheircrimesarenotthebitteresttribulationsoftheMason-
bee。IfthefirststarvestheMason’sgrubtodeath,ifthesecondmakesitperishintheegg,thereareotherswhohaveamorepitiableendinginstorefortheworker’sfamily。WhentheBee’sgrub,allplumpandfatandgreasy,hasfinisheditsprovisionsandspunitscocoonwhereintosleeptheslumberakintodeath,thenecessaryperiodofpreparationforitsfuturelife,theseotherenemieshastentothenestswhosefortificationsarepowerlessagainsttheirhideouslyingeniousmethods。Soononthesleeper’sbodyliesanascentgrubwhichfeastsinallsecurityonthelusciousfare。Thetraitorswhoattackthelarvaeintheirlethargyarethreeinnumber:anAnthrax,aLeucopsisandamicroscopicdagger-wearer。(Monodontomeruscupreus。ForthisandtheAnthrax,cf。\"TheLifeoftheFly\":chapters2and3。TheLeucopsisisaHymenopteron,theessayuponwhomformstheconcludingchapterofthepresentvolume。——Translator’sNote。)
Theirstorydeservestobetoldwithoutreticence;andIshalltellitlater。Forthemoment,Imerelymentionthenamesofthethreeexterminators。
Theprovisionsarestolen,theeggisdestroyed。Theyounggrubdiesofhunger,thelarvaisdevoured。Isthatall?Notyet。Theworkermustbeexploitedthoroughly,inherworkaswellasinherfamily。
Herearesomenowwhocovetherdwelling。WhentheMasonisconstructinganewedificeonapebble,heralmostconstantpresenceisenoughtokeeptheaspirantstofreelodgingsatadistance;herstrengthandvigilanceoverawewhosowouldannexhermasonry。If,inherabsence,onegreatlydaringthinksofvisitingthebuilding,theownersoonappearsuponthesceneandoustsherwiththemostdiscouraginganimosity。Shehasnoneedthentofeartheentranceofunwelcometenantswhilethehouseisnew。ButtheBeeofthePebblesalsousesolddwellingsforherlaying,aslongastheyarenottoomuchdilapidated。Intheearlystagesofthework,neighbourscompeteforthesewithaneagernesswhichshowsthevalueattachedtothem。
Facetoface,attimeswiththeirmandiblesinterlocked,nowbothrisingintotheair,nowcomingdownagain,thentouchinggroundandrollingovereachother,nextflyingupagain,forhoursonendtheywillwagebattleforthepropertyatissue。
Aready-madenest,afamilyheirloomwhichneedsbutalittlerestoring,isapreciousthingfortheMason,eversparingofhertime。WefindsomanyoftheoldhomesrepairedandrestockedthatI
suspecttheBeeoflayingnewfoundationsonlywhentherearenosecondhandneststobehad。Tohavethechambersofadomeoccupiedbyastrangerthereforemeansaseriousprivation。
NowseveralBees,howeverindustriousingatheringhoney,buildingparty-wallsandcontrivingreceptaclesforprovisions,arelesscleveratpreparingtheresortsinwhichthecellsaretobestacked。TheabandonedchambersoftheChalicodoma,nowlargerthantheywereoriginally,throughtheadditionofthehallofexit,arefirst-rateacquisitionsforthem。Thegreatthingistooccupythesechambersfirst,forherepossessionisninepartsofthelaw。Onceestablished,theMasonisnotdisturbedinherhome,whileshe,inherturn,doesnotdisturbthestrangerwhohassettleddownbeforeherinanoldnest,thepatrimonyofherfamily。ThedisinheritedoneleavestheBohemiantoenjoytheruinedmanorinpeaceandgoestoanotherpebbletoestablishherselfatfreshexpense。
Inthefirstrankofthesefreetenants,IwillplaceanOsmia(Osmiacyanoxantha,PEREZ)andaMegachile,orLeaf-cuttingBee(Megachileapicalis,SPIN。)(Cf。\"Bramble-dwellersandOthers\":chapter8。——
Translator’sNote。),bothofwhomworkinMay,atthesametimeastheMason,whilebotharesmallenoughtolodgefromfivetoeightcellsinasinglechamberoftheChalicodoma,achamberincreasedbytheadditionofanouterhall。TheOsmiasubdividesthisspaceintoveryirregularcompartmentsbymeansofslanting,uprightorcurvedpartitions,subjecttothedictatesofspace。Thereisnoart,consequently,intheaccumulationoflittlecells;thearchitect’sonlytaskistousethebreadthatherdisposalinafrugalmanner。
Thematerialemployedforthepartitionsisagreen,vegetableputty,whichtheOsmiamustobtainbychewingtheshreddedleavesofaplantwhosenatureisstilluncertain。Thesamegreenpasteservesforthethickplugthatclosestheabode。Butinthiscasetheinsectdoesnotuseitunadulterated。Togivegreaterpowerofresistancetothework,itmixesanumberofbitsofgravelwiththevegetablecement。Thesematerials,whichareeasilypickedup,arelavishlyemployed,asthoughthemotherfearedlestsheshouldnotfortifysufficientlytheentrancetoherdwelling。Theyformasortofcoarsestucco,onthemoreorlesssmoothcupolaoftheChalicodoma;andthisunevenness,aswellasthegreencolouringofitsmortarofmasticatedleaves,atoncebetraystheOsmia’snest。Incourseoftime,undertheprolongedactionoftheair,thevegetableputtyturnsbrownandassumesadead-
leaftint,especiallyontheoutsideoftheplug;anditwouldthenbedifficultforanyonewhohadnotseenthemwhenfreshlymadetorecognizetheirnature。
TheoldnestsonthepebblesseemtosuitotherOsmiae。MynotesmentionOsmiaMorawitzi,PEREZ,andOsmiacyanea,KIRB。,ashavingbeenrecognizedinthesedwellings,althoughtheyarenotveryassiduousvisitors。Lastly,tocompletetheenumerationoftheBeesknowntomeasmakingtheirhomesintheMason’scupolas,ImustaddMegachileapicalis,whopilesineachcellahalf-dozenormorehoney-
potsconstructedwithdiskscutfromtheleavesofthewildrose,andanAnthidiumwhosespeciesIcannotstate,havingseennothingofherbutherwhitecottonsacks。
TheMason-beeoftheSheds,ontheotherhand,suppliesfreelodgingstotwospeciesofOsmiae,Osmiatricornis,LATR。,andOsmiaLatreillii,SPIN。,bothofwhomarequitecommon。TheThree-hornedOsmiafrequentsbypreferencethehabitationsoftheBeesthatbuildtheirnestsinpopulouscolonies,suchastheChalicodomaoftheShedsandtheHairy-footedAnthophora。Latreille’sOsmiaisnearlyalwaysfoundwiththeThree-hornedOsmiaattheChalicodoma’s。
Therealbuilderofthecityandtheexploiterofthelabourofothersworktogether,atthesameperiod,formacommonswarmandliveinperfectharmony,eachBeeofthetwospeciesattendingtoherbusinessinpeace。Theyshareandsharealike,asthoughbytacitagreement。IstheOsmiadiscreetenoughnottoputuponthegood-naturedMasonandtoutilizeonlyabandonedpassagesandwastecells?Ordoesshetakepossessionofthehomeofwhichtherealownerscouldthemselveshavemadeuse?Ileaninfavourofusurpation,foritisnotraretoseetheChalicodomaoftheShedsclearingoutoldcellsandusingthemasdoeshersisterofthePebbles。Bethisasitmay,allthislittlebusyworldliveswithoutstrife,somebuildinganew,othersdividinguptheolddwelling。
ThoseOsmiae,onthecontrary,whoaretheself-invitedguestsoftheMason-beeofthePebblesarethesoleoccupantsofthedome。Thecauseofthisisolationliesintheunsociabletemperoftheproprietress。
Theoldnestdoesnotsuitherfromthemomentthatsheseesitoccupiedbyanother。Insteadofgoingshares,shepreferstoseekelsewhereadwellingwhereshecanworkinsolitude。HergracioussurrenderofamostexcellentlodginginfavourofastrangerwhowouldbeincapableofofferingtheleastresistanceifadisputearoseprovesthegreatimmunityenjoyedbytheOsmiainthehomeoftheworkerwhomsheexploits。ThecommonandpeacefulswarmingoftheMason-beeoftheShedsandthetwocell-borrowingOsmiaeprovesitinastillmorepositivefashion。Thereisneverafightfortheacquisitionofanother’sgoodsorthedefenceofone’sownproperty;
neverabrawlbetweenOsmiaeandChalicodomae。Robberandrobbedliveonthemostneighbourlyterms。TheOsmiaconsidersherselfathome;
andtheotherdoesnothingtoundeceiveher。Iftheparasites,sodeadlytotheworkers,moveaboutintheirveryrankswithimpunity,withoutarousingthefaintestexcitement,anequallycompleteindifferencemustbeshownbythedispossessedownerstothepresenceoftheusurpersintheiroldhomes。IshouldbegreatlyputtoitifI
wereaskedtoreconcilethiscalmnessonthepartoftheexpropriatedonewiththeruthlesscompetitionthatissaidtoswaytheworld。
FashionedsoastoinstalherselfintheMason’sproperty,theOsmiameetswithapeacefulreceptionfromher。Myfeebleeyescanseenofurther。
Ihavenamedtheprovision-thieves,thegrub-murderersandthehouse-
grabberswholevytributeontheMason-bee。Doesthatendthelist?
Notatall。Theoldnestsarecitiesofthedead。TheycontainBeeswho,onachievingtheperfectstate,wereunabletoopentheexit-doorthroughthecementandwhowitheredintheircells;theycontaindeadlarvae,turnedintoblack,brittlecylinders;untouchedprovisions,bothmouldyandfresh,onwhichtheegghascometogrief;tatteredcocoons;shredsofskins;relicsofthetransformation。
IfweremovethenestoftheChalicodomaoftheShedsfromitstile——anestsometimesquiteeightinchesthick——wefindliveinhabitantsonlyinathinouterlayer。Alltheremainder,thecatacombsofpastgenerations,isbutahorribleheapofdead,shrivelled,ruined,decomposedthings。Intothissub-stratumoftheancientcitytheunreleasedBees,theuntransformedlarvaefallasdust;herethehoney-storesofoldgosour,heretheuneatenprovisionsarereducedtomould。
Threeundertakers,allmembersoftheBeetletribe,aClerus,aPtinusandanAnthrenus,battenontheseremains。ThelarvaeoftheAnthrenusandthePtinusgnawtheashesofthecorpses;thelarvaoftheClerus,withtheblackheadandtherestofitsbodyaprettypink,appearedtometobebreakingintotheoldjam-potsfilledwithrancidhoney。
Theperfectinsectitself,garbedinvermilionwithblueornaments,isfairlycommononthesurfaceoftheclayslabsduringtheworkingseason,strollingleisurelythroughtheyardtotastehereandtherethedropsofhoneyoozingfromsomecrackedpot。Notwithstandinghisshowylivery,sounliketheworkers’sombrefrieze,theChalicodomaeleavehiminpeace,asthoughtheyrecognizedinhimthescavengerwhosedutyitistokeepthesewerswholesome。
Ravagedbythepassingyears,theMason’shomeatlastfallsintoruinandbecomesahovel。Exposedasitistothedirectactionofwindandweather,thedomebuiltuponapebblechipsandcracks。Torepairitwouldbetooirksome,norwouldthatrestoretheoriginalsolidityoftheshakyfoundation。Betterprotectedbythecoveringofaroof,thecityoftheshedsresistslonger,withouthoweverescapingeventualdecay。Thestoreyswhicheachgenerationaddstothoseinwhichitwasbornincreasethethicknessandtheweightoftheedificeinalarmingproportions。Themoistureofthetilefiltersintotheoldestlayers,wrecksthefoundationsandthreatensthenestwithaspeedyfall。Itistimetoabandonforgoodthehousewithitscracksandrents。
Thereuponthecrumblingapartments,onthepebbleaswellasonthetile,becomethehomeofacampofgypsieswhoarenotparticularwheretheyfindashelter。Theshapelesshovel,reducedtoafragmentofawall,findsoccupants,fortheMason’sworkmustbeexploitedtotheutmostlimitsofpossibility。Intheblindalleys,allthatremainsoftheformercells,Spidersweaveawhite-satinscreen,behindwhichtheylieinwaitforthepassinggame。Innookswhichtheyrepairinsummaryfashionwithearthenembankmentsorclaypartitions,HuntingWasps——PompiliandTripoxyla——storeupsmallmembersoftheSpidertribe,includingsometimestheWeavingSpiderswholiveinthesameruins。
IhavesaidnothingyetoftheChalicodomaoftheShrubs。Mysilenceisnotduetonegligence,buttothecircumstancethatIamalmostdestituteoffactsrelatingtoherparasites。OfthemanynestswhichIhaveopenedinordertostudytheirinhabitants,onlyonesofarhasbeeninvadedbystrangers。Thisnest,thesizeofalargewalnut,wasfixedonapomegranate-branch。Itcomprisedeightcells,ofwhichsevenwereoccupiedbytheChalicodoma,andtheeighthbyalittleChalcis,theplagueofawholehostoftheBee-tribe。Apartfromthisinstance,whichwasnotaveryseriouscase,Ihaveseennothing。Inthoseaerialnests,swingingattheendofatwig,notaDioxys,aStelis,anAnthrax,aLeucopsis,thosedreadravagersoftheothertwoMasons;neveranyOsmiae,MegachilesorAnthidia,thoselodgersintheoldbuildings。
Theabsenceofthelatteriseasilyexplained。TheChalicodoma’smasonrydoesnotlastlongonitsfrailsupport。Thewinterwinds,whentheshelterofthefoliagehasdisappeared,musteasilybreakthetwig,whichislittlethickerthanastrawandliabletogivewaybyreasonofitsheavyburden。Threatenedwithanearlyfall,ifitisnotalreadyontheground,lastyear’sdwellingisnotrestoredtoservetheneedsofthepresentgeneration。Thesamenestdoesnotservetwice;andthisdoesawaywiththeOsmiaeandwiththeirrivalsintheartofutilizingoldcells。
Theelucidationofthispointdoesnotremovetheobscurityofthenext。Icanseenothingtoaccountfortheabsenceoratleasttheextremerarenessofusurpersofprovisionsandconsumersofgrubs,bothofwhomareveryindifferenttotheneworoldconditionsofthenest,solongasthecellsarewellstocked。CanitbethattheloftypositionoftheedificeandtheshakysupportofthetwigarousedistrustintheDioxysandothermalefactors?Forlackofabetterexplanation,Iwillleaveitatthat。
Ifmyideaisnotanemptyfancy,wemustadmitthattheChalicodomaoftheShrubswassingularlywell-inspiredinbuildinginmid-air。Youhaveseenofwhatmisfortunestheothertwoarevictims。IfItakeacensusofthepopulationofatile,manyatimeIfindtheDioxysandtheMason-beeinalmostequalproportions。Theparasitehaswipedouthalfthecolony。Tocompletethedisaster,itisnotunusualforthegrub-eaters,theLeucopsisandherrival,thepygmyChalcis,tohavedecimatedtheotherhalf。IsaynothingofAnthraxsinuata,whomI
sometimesseecomingfromthenestsoftheChalicodomaoftheSheds;
herlarvapreysontheThree-hornedOsmia,theMason-bee’svisitor。
Allsolitarythoughshebeonherboulder,whichwouldseemtheproperthingtokeepawayexploiters,thescourgeofdensepopulations,theChalicodomaofthePebblesisnolesssorelytried。Mynotesaboundincasessuchasthefollowing:oftheninecellsinonedome,threeareoccupiedbytheAnthrax,twobytheLeucopsis,twobytheStelis,onebytheChalcisandtheninthbytheMason。Itisasthoughthefourmiscreantshadjoinedforcesforthemassacre:thewholeoftheBee’sfamilyhasdisappeared,allbutoneyoungmothersavedfromthedisasterbyherpositioninthecentreofthecitadel。Ihavesometimesstuffedmypocketswithnestsremovedfromtheirpebbleswithoutfindingasingleonethathasnotbeenviolatedbyoneorotherofthemalefactorsandoftenerstillbyseveralofthematatime。Itisalmostaneventformetofindanestintact。Afterthesefunerealrecords,Iamhauntedbyagloomythought:thewealofonemeansthewoeofanother。
CHAPTER11。THELEUCOPSES。
(Thischaptershouldbereadinconjunctionwiththeessaysentitled\"TheAnthrax\"and\"LarvalDimorphism\",formingchapters2and4of\"TheLifeoftheFly。\"——Translator’sNote。)
LetusvisitthenestsofChalicodomamurariainJuly,detachingthemfromtheirpebbleswithasidewardblow,asIexplainedwhentellingthestoryoftheAnthrax。TheMason-bee’scocoonswithtwoinhabitants,onedevouring,theotherinprocessofbeingdevoured,arenumerousenoughtoallowmetogathersomedozensinthecourseofamorning,beforethesunbecomesunbearablyhot。Wewillgiveasmarttaptotheflintssoastoloosentheclaydomes,wraptheseupinnewspapers,fillourboxandgohomeasfastaswecan,fortheairwillsoonbeasfieryasthedevil’skitchen。
Inspection,whichiseasierintheshadeindoors,soontellsusthat,thoughthedevouredisalwaysthewretchedMason-bee,thedevourerbelongstotwodifferentspecies。Intheonecase,thecylindricalform,thecreamy-whitecolouringandthelittlenippleconstitutingtheheadrevealtousthelarvaoftheAnthrax,whichdoesnotconcernusatpresent;intheother,thegeneralstructureandappearancebetraythegrubofsomeHymenopteron。TheMason’ssecondexterminatoris,infact,aLeucopsis(Leucopsisgigas,FAB。),amagnificentinsect,strippedblackandyellow,withanabdomenroundedattheendandhollowedout,asisalsotheback,intoagroovetocontainalongrapier,asslenderasahorsehair,whichthecreatureunsheathesanddrivesthroughthemortarrightintothecellwhereitproposestoestablishitsegg。Beforeoccupyingourselveswithitscapacitiesasaninoculator,letuslearnhowitslarvalivesintheinvadedcell。
Itisahairless,legless,sightlessgrub,easilyconfused,byinexperiencedeyes,withthoseofvarioushoney-gatheringHymenoptera。
Itsmoreapparentcharacteristicsconsistofacolouringlikethatofrancidbutter,ashinyandasitwereoilyskinandasegmentationaccentuatedbyaseriesofmarkedswellings,sothat,whenlookedatfromtheside,thebackisveryplainlyindented。Whenatrest,thelarvaislikeabowbendingroundatonepoint。Itismadeupofthirteensegments,includingthehead。Thishead,whichisverysmallcomparedwiththerestofthebody,displaysnomouth-partunderthelens;atmostyouseeafaintredstreak,whichcallsforthemicroscope。Youthendistinguishtwodelicatemandibles,veryshortandfashionedintoasharppoint。Asmallroundmouth,withafinepiercerontherightandleft,isallthatthepowerfulinstrumentreveals。Asformybestsinglemagnifying-glasses,theyshowmenothingatall。Ontheotherhand,wecanquiteeasily,withoutarmingtheeyewithalens,perceivethemouth-apparatus——andparticularlythemandibles——ofeitherahoney-eater,suchasanOsmia,ChalicodomaorMegachile,oragame-eater,suchasaScolia,AmmophilaorBembex。
Allthesepossessstoutpincers,capableofgripping,grindingandtearing。ThenwhatisthepurposeoftheLeucopsis’invisibleimplements?Hismethodofconsumingwilltellus。
Likehisprototype,theAnthrax,theLeucopsisdoesnoteattheChalicodoma-grub,thatistosay,hedoesnotbreakitupintomouthfuls;hedrainsitwithoutopeningitanddiggingintoitsvitals。Inhimagainweseeexemplifiedthatmarvellousartwhichconsistsinfeedingonthevictimwithoutkillingituntilthemealisover,soasalwaystohaveaportionoffreshmeat。Withitsmouthassiduouslyappliedtotheunhappycreature’sskin,thelethalgrubfillsitselfandwaxesfat,whilethefosteringlarvacollapsesandshrivels,retainingjustenoughlife,however,toresistdecomposition。Allthatremainsofthedecantedcorpseistheskin,which,whensoftenedinwaterandblownout,swellsintoaballoonwithouttheleastescapeofgas,thusprovingthecontinuityoftheintegument。Allthesame,theapparentlyunpuncturedbladderhaslostitscontents。ItisarepetitionofwhattheAnthraxhasshownus,withthisdifference,thattheLeucopsisseemsnotsowellskilledinthedelicateworkofabsorbingthevictim。InsteadofthecleanwhitegranulewhichisthesoleresiduewhentheFlyhasfinishedherjoint,theinsectwiththelongprobehasaplatefulofleavings,notseldomsoiledwiththebrownishtingeoffoodthathasgonebad。Itwouldseemthat,towardstheend,theactofconsumptionbecomesmoresavageanddoesnotdisdaindeadmeat。IalsonoticethattheLeucopsisisnotabletogetupfromdinnerortositdowntoitagainasreadilyastheAnthrax。Ihavesometimestoteasehimwiththepointofahair-pencilinordertomakehimletgo;and,oncehehasleftthejoint,hehesitatesalittlebeforeputtinghismouthtoitagain。Hisadhesionisnotthemereresultofakisslikethatofacupping-
glass;itcanonlybeexplainedbyhooksthatneedreleasing。
Inowseetheuseofthemicroscopicmandibles。Thosetwodelicatespikesareincapableofchewinganything,buttheymayverywellservetopiercetheepidermiswithanaperturesmallerthanthatmadebythefinestneedle;anditisthroughthispuncturethattheLeucopsissucksthejuicesofhisprey。Theyareinstrumentsmadetoperforatethebagoffatwhichslowly,withoutsufferinganyinternalinjury,isemptiedthroughanopeningrepeatedhereandthere。TheAnthrax’
cupping-glassisherereplacedbypiercersofexceedingsharpnessandsoshortthattheycannothurtanythingbeyondtheskin。Thusdoweseeinoperation,withadifferentsortofimplements,thatwisesystemwhichkeepstheprovisionsfreshfortheconsumer。
Itishardlynecessarytosay,tothosewhohavereadthestoryoftheAnthrax,thatthiskindoffeedingwouldbeimpossiblewithavictimwhosetissuespossessedtheirfinalhardness。TheMason-bee’sgrubisthereforeemptiedbytheLeucopsis’larvawhileitisinasemifluidstateanddeepinthetorporofthenymphosis。ThelastfortnightinJulyandthefirstfortnightinAugustarethebesttimestowitnesstherepast,whichIhaveseengoingonfortwelveandfourteendays。
Later,wefindnothingintheMason-bee’scocoonexcepttheLeucopsis’
larva,gloriouslyfat,and,byitsside,asortofthin,rancidrasher,theremainsofthedeceasedwet-nurse。ThingsthenremainastheyareuntilthehotpartofthefollowingsummeroratleastuntiltheendofJune。
Thenappearsthenymph,whichteachesusnothingstriking;andatlasttheperfectinsect,whosehatchingmaybedelayeduntilAugust。ItsexitfromtheMason’sfortresshasnolikenesstothestrangemethodemployedbytheAnthrax。Endowedwithstoutmandibles,theperfectinsectsplitstheceilingofitsabodebyitselfwithoutmuchdifficulty。Atthetimeofitsdeliverance,theMason-bees,whoworkinMay,havelongdisappeared。Thenestsonthepebblesareallclosed,theprovisioningisfinished,thelarvaearesleepingintheiryellowcocoons。AstheoldnestsareutilizedbytheMasonsolongastheyarenottoomuchdilapidated,thedomewhichhasjustbeenvacatedbytheLeucopsis,nowmorethanayearold,hasitsothercellsoccupiedbytheBee’schildren。Thereishere,withoutseekingfarther,afatlivingfortheLeucopsis’offspringwhichshewellknowshowtoturntoprofit。Itdependsbutonherselftomakethehouseinwhichshewasbornintotheresidenceofherfamily。Besides,ifshehasafancyfordistantexploration,claydomesaboundintheharmas。Theinoculationoftheeggsthroughthewallswillbeginshortly。Beforewitnessingthiscuriousperformance,letusexaminetheneedlethatistoeffectit。
Theinsect’sabdomenishollowed,atthetop,intoafurrowthatrunsuptothebaseofthethorax;theend,whichisbroaderandrounded,hasanarrowslit,whichseemstodividethisregionintotwo。Thewholethingsuggestsapulleywithafinegroove。Whenatrest,theinoculating-needleorovipositorremainspackedintheslitandthefurrow。Thedelicateinstrumentthusalmostcompletelyencirclestheabdomen。Underneath,onthemedianline,weseealong,dark-brownscale,pointed,keel-shaped,fixedbyitsbasetothefirstabdominalsegment,withitssidesprolongedintomembranouswingswhicharefastenedtightlytotheinsect’sflanks。Itsfunctionistoprotecttheunderlyingregion,asoft-walledregioninwhichtheprobehasitssource。Itisacuirass,alidwhichprotectsthedelicatemotor-
machineryduringperiodsofinactivitybutswingsfrombacktofrontandliftswhentheimplementhastobeunsheathedandused。
Wewillnowremovethislidwiththescissors,soastohavethewholeapparatusbeforeoureyes,andthenraisetheovipositorwiththepointofaneedle。Thepartthatrunsalongthebackcomesloosewithouttheslightestdifficulty,butthepartembeddedinthegrooveattheendoftheabdomenoffersaresistancethatwarnsusofacomplicationwhichwedidnotnoticeatfirst。Thetool,infact,consistsofthreepieces,acentralpiece,orinoculating-filament,andtwoside-pieces,whichtogetherconstituteascabbard。Thetwolatteraremoresubstantial,arehollowedoutlikethesidesofagrooveand,whenuniting,formacompletegrooveinwhichthefilamentissheathed。Thisbivalvularscabbardadhereslooselytothedorsalpart;but,fartheron,atthetipoftheabdomenandunderthebelly,itcannolongerbedetached,asitsvalvesareweldedtotheabdominalwall。Here,therefore,wefind,betweenthetwojoinedprotectingparts,asimpletrenchinwhichthefilamentliescoveredup。Asforthisfilament,itiseasilyextractedfromitssheathandreleaseddowntoitsbase,undertheshieldformedbythescale。
Seenunderthemagnifying-glass,itisaround,stiff,hornythread,midwayinthicknessbetweenahumanhairandahorse-hair。Itstipisalittlerough,pointedandbevelledtosomelengthdown。Themicroscopebecomesnecessaryifwewouldseeitsrealstructure,whichismuchlesssimplethanitatfirstappears。Weperceivethatthebevelledend-partconsistsofaseriesoftruncatedcones,fittingoneintotheother,withtheirwidebaseslightlyprojecting。Thisarrangementproducesasortoffile,asortofraspwithverymuchbluntedteeth。Whenpressedontheslide,thethreaddividesintofourpiecesofunequallength。Thetwolongerendinthetoothedbevel。
Theycometogetherinaverynarrowgroove,whichreceivesthetwoother,rathershorterpieces。Thesebothendinapoint,which,however,isnottoothedanddoesnotprojectasfarasthefinalrasp。
Theyalsounitetoformagroove,whichfitsintothegrooveoftheothertwo,thewholeconstitutingacompletechannelorduct。
Moreover,thetwoshorterpieces,consideredtogether,canmove,lengthwise,inthegroovethatreceivesthem;theycanalsomoveoneovertheother,alwayslengthwise,somuchsothat,ontheslideofthemicroscope,theirterminalpointsareseldomsituatedonthesamelevel。
Ifwithourscissorswecutapieceoftheinoculating-threadfromthelivinginsectandexaminethesectionunderthemagnifying-glass,weshallseetheinnergroovelengthenoutandprojectbeyondtheoutergrooveandthengoinagaininturn,whilefromthewoundthereoozesatinyalbimunousdrop,doubtlessproceedingfromtheliquidthatgivestheeggthesingularappendagetowhichweshallcomepresently。
Bymeansoftheselongitudinalmovementsoftheinnertrenchinsidetheoutertrenchandofthesliding,oneovertheother,ofthetwoportionsoftheformer,theeggcanbedespatchedtotheendoftheovipositornotwithstandingtheabsenceofanymuscularcontraction,whichisimpossibleinahornyconduit。
Wehaveonlytopresstheuppersurfaceoftheabdomentoseeitdisjointitselffromthefirstsegment,asthoughtheinsecthadbeencutalmostintwoatthatpoint。Awidegaporhiatusappearsbetweenthefirstandsecondrings;and,underathinmembrane,thebaseoftheovipositorbulgesout,bentbackintoastouthook。Herethefilamentpassesthroughtheinsectfromendtoendandemergesunderneath。Itsissueisthereforenearthebaseoftheabdomen,insteadofatthetip,asusual。Thiscuriousarrangementhastheeffectofshorteningthelever-armoftheovipositorandbringingthestarting-pointofthefilamentnearertothefulcrum,namely,thelegsoftheinsect,andofthusassistingthedifficulttaskofinoculationbymakingthemostoftheeffortexpended。
Tosumup,theovipositorwhenatrestgoesroundtheabdomen。
Startingatthebase,onthelowersurface,itrunsroundthebellyfromfronttobackandthenreturnsfrombacktofrontontheuppersurface,whereitendsatalmostthesamelevelasitsstarting-point。
Itslengthis14millimetres。(。546inch——Translator’sNote。)ThisfixesthelimitofthedepthwhichtheprobeisabletoreachintheMason-bee’snests。
OnelastwordontheLeucopsis’weapon。Inthedyinginsect,beheaded,strippedoflegsandwings,withapinstuckthroughitsbody,thesidesofthefissurecontainingtheinoculating-threadquiverviolently,asifthebellyweregoingtoopen,divideintwoalongthemedianlineandthenreuniteitstwohalves。Thethreaditselfgivesconvulsivetremblings;itcomesoutofitsscabbard,goesbackandslipsoutagain。Itisasthoughthelaying-implementcouldnotpersuadeitselftodiebeforeaccomplishingitsmission。Theinsect’ssupremeaimistheegg;and,solongastheleastsparkofliferemains,itmakesdyingeffortstolay。
LeucopsisgigasexploitsthenestsoftheMason-beeofthePebblesandtheMason-beeoftheShedswithequalzest。Toobservetheinsertionoftheeggatmyeaseandtowatchtheoperatoratworkoverandoveragain,Igavethepreferencetothelast-namedMason,whosenests,removedfromtheneighbouringroofsbymyorders,havehungforsomeyearsinthearchofmybasement。Theseclayhivesfastenedtotilessupplymewithfreshrecordseachsummer。IammuchindebtedtotheminthematteroftheLeucopsis’life-history。
Bywayofcomparisonwithwhattookplaceundermyroof,Iusedtoobservethesamescenesonthepebblesofthesurroundingwastelands。
Myexcursions,alas,didnotallrewardmyzeal,whichzealwasnotwithoutmeritinthemercilesssunshine;butstill,atrareintervals,IsucceededinseeingsomeLeucopsisdiggingherprobeintothemortardome。Lyingflatontheground,fromthebeginningtotheendoftheoperation,whichsometimeslastedforhours,Icloselywatchedtheinsectinitseverymovement,whilemyDog,wearyofbeingoutofdoorsinthatscorchingheat,woulddiscreetlyretirefromthefrayand,withhistailbetweenhislegsandhistonguehangingout,gohomeandstretchhimselfatfulllengthonthecooltilesofthehall。
Howwisehewastoscornthispebble-gazing!Iwouldcomeinhalf-
roasted,asbrownasaberry,tofindmyfriendBullwedgedintoacorner,hisbacktothewall,sprawlingonallfours,while,withheavingsides,hepantedforththelastspraysofsteamfromhisoverheatedinterior。Yes,hewasmuchbetter-advisedtoreturnasfastashecouldtotheshadeofthehouse。Whydoesmanwanttoknowthings?Whyishenotindifferenttothem,withtheloftyphilosophyoftheanimals?Whatinterestcananythinghaveforusthatdoesnotfillourstomachs?Whatistheuseoflearning?Whatistheuseoftruth,whenprofitisallthatmatters?WhyamI——thedescendant,sotheytellme,ofsometertiaryBaboon——afflictedwiththepassionforknowledgefromwhichBull,myfriendandcompanion,isexempt?
Why……oh,wherehaveIgotto?Iwasgoingin,wasn’tI,withasplittingheadache?Quick,letusgetbacktooursubject!
ItwasinthefirstweekofJulythatIsawtheinoculationbeginonmyChalicodomasiculanests。Theparasiteisathertaskinthehottestpartoftheday,closeonthreeo’clockintheafternoon;andworkgoesonalmosttotheendofthemonth,decreasinggraduallyinactivity。IcountasmanyastwelveLeucopsesatatimeonthemostthickly-populatedpairoftiles。Theinsectslowlyandawkwardlyexploresthenests。Itfeelsthesurfacewithitsantennae,whicharebentatarightangleafterthefirstjoint。Then,motionless,withloweredhead,itseemstomeditateandtodebatewithinitselfonthefitnessofthespot。Isithereorsomewhereelsethatthecovetedlarvalies?Thereisnothingoutside,absolutelynothing,totellus。
Itisastonyexpanse,bumpybutyetveryuniforminappearance,forthecellshavedisappearedunderalayerofplaster,aworkofpublicinteresttowhichthewholeswarmdevotesitslastdays。IfImyself,withmylongexperience,hadtodecideuponthesuitablepoint,evenifIwereatlibertytomakeuseofalensforexaminingthemortargrainbygrainandtoauscultatethesurfaceinordertogatherinformationfromthesoundemitted,Ishoulddeclinethejob,persuadedinadvancethatIshouldfailninetimesoutoftenandonlysucceedbychance。
Wheremydiscernment,aidedbyreasonandmyopticalcontrivances,fails,theinsect,guidedbythewandsofitsantennae,neverblunders。Itschoiceismade。Seeitunsheathingitslonginstrument。
Theprobepointsnormallytowardsthesurfaceandoccupiesnearlythecentralspotbetweenthetwomiddle-legs。Awidedislocationappearsontheback,betweenthefirstandsecondsegmentsoftheabdomen;andthebaseoftheinstrumentswellslikeabladderthroughthisopening;
whilethepointstrivestopenetratethehardclay。Theamountofenergyexpendedisshownbythewayinwhichthebladderquivers。Ateverymomentweexpecttoseethefrailmembraneburstwiththeviolenceoftheeffort。Butitdoesnotgiveway;andthewiregoesdeeperanddeeper。
Raisingitselfhighonitslegs,togivefreeplaytoitsapparatus,theinsectremainsmotionless,theonlysignofitsarduouslaboursbeingaslightvibration。Iseesomeperforatorswhohavefinishedoperatinginaquarterofanhour。Thesearethequickestatthebusiness。Theyhavebeenluckyenoughtocomeacrossawallwhichislessthickandlesshardthanusual。Iseeotherswhospendasmanyasthreehoursonasingleoperation,threelonghoursofpatientwatchingforme,inmyanxietytofollowthewholeperformancetotheend,threelonghoursofimmobilityfortheinsect,whichisevenmoreanxioustomakesureofboardandlodgingforitsegg。Butthenisitnotataskoftheutmostdifficultytointroduceahairintothethicknessofastone?Tous,withallthedexterityofourfingers,itwouldbeimpossible;totheinsect,whichsimplypusheswithitsbelly,itisjusthardwork。
Notwithstandingtheresistanceofthesubstancetraversed,theLeucopsisperseveres,certainofsucceeding;andshedoessucceed,althoughIamstillunabletounderstandhersuccess。Thematerialthroughwhichtheprobehastopenetrateisnotaporoussubstance;itishomogeneousandcompact,likeourhardenedcement。InvaindoI
directmyattentiontotheexactpointwheretheinstrumentisatwork;Iseenofissure,noopeningthatcanfacilitateaccess。A
miner’sdrillpenetratestherockonlybypulverizingit。Thismethodisnotadmissiblehere;theextremedelicacyoftheimplementisopposedtoit。Thefrailstemrequires,soitseemstome,aready-
madeway,acrevicethroughwhichitcanslip;butthiscreviceIhaveneverbeenabletodiscover。Whataboutadissolvingfluidwhichwouldsoftenthemortarunderthepointoftheovipositor?No,forIseenotatraceofhumidityaroundthepointwherethethreadisatwork。I
fallbackuponafissure,alackofcontinuitysomewhere,althoughmyexaminationfailstodiscoveranyontheMason-bee’snest。Iwasbetterservedinanothercase。Leucopsisdorsigera,FAB。,settleshereggsonthelarvaoftheDiademAnthidium,whosometimesmakeshernestinreed-stumps。Ihaverepeatedlyseenherinsertheraugerthroughaslightruptureinthesideofthereed。Asthewallwasdifferent,woodinthelattercaseandmortarintheformer,perhapsitwillbebesttolookuponthematterasamystery。
Mysedulousattendance,duringthebestpartofJuly,infrontofthetileshangingfromthewallsofthearch,allowedmetoreckontheinoculations。Eachtimethattheinsect,onfinishingtheoperation,removeditsprobe,Imarkedinpenciltheexactpointatwhichtheinstrumentwaswithdrawn;andIwrotedownthedatebesideit。ThisinformationwastobeutilizedwhentheLeucopsisfinishedherlabours。
Whentheperforatorsaregone,Iproceedwithmyexaminationofthenests,coveredwithmyhieroglyphics,thepencillednotes。Oneresult,onewhichIfullyexpected,compensatesmestraightwayforallmywearywaitings。Undereachspotmarkedinblack,undereachspotwhenceIsawtheovipositorwithdrawn,Ialwaysfindacell,withnotasingleexception。Andyetthereareintervalsofsolidstonebetweenthecells:thepartition-wallsalonewouldaccountforsome。Moreover,thecompartments,whichareveryirregularlydisposedbyaswarmoftoilerswhoallworkintheirownsweetway,havegreatirregularcavitiesbetweenthem,whichendbybeingfilledupwiththegeneralplasteringofthenest。Theresultofthisarrangementisthatthemassiveportionscoveralmostthesamespaceasthehollowportions。
Thereisnothingoutsidetoshowwhethertheunderlyingregionsarefullorempty。Itisquiteimpossibleformetodecideif,bydiggingstraightdown,Ishallcometoahollowcellortoasolidwall。
Buttheinsectmakesnomistake:theexcavationsundermypencil-marksbearwitnesstothat;italwaysdirectsitsapparatustowardsthehollowofacell。Howisitapprisedwhetherthepartbelowisemptyorfull?Itsorgansofinformationareundoubtedlytheantennae,whichfeeltheground。Theyaretwofingersofunparalleleddelicacy,whichpryintothebasementbytappingonthepartaboveit。Thenwhatdothosepuzzlingorgansperceive?Asmell?Notatall;IalwayshadmydoubtsofthatandnowIamcertainofthecontrary,afterwhatI
shalldescribeinamoment。Dotheyperceiveasound?Arewetotreatthemasasuperiorkindofmicrophone,capableofcollectingtheinfinitesimalechoesofwhatisfullandthereverberationsofwhatisempty?Itisanattractiveidea,butunfortunatelytheantennaeplaytheirpartequallywellonahostofoccasionswhentherearenovaultstoreverberate。Weknownothingandareperhapsdestinednevertoknowanythingoftherealvalueoftheantennalsense,towhichwehavenothinganalogous;but,thoughitisimpossibleforustosaywhatitdoesperceive,weareatleastabletorecognizetosomeextentwhatitdoesnotperceiveand,inparticular,todenyitthefacultyofsmell。
Asamatteroffact,Inotice,withextremesurprise,thatthegreatmajorityofthecellsvisitedbytheLeucopsis’probedonotcontaintheonethingwhichtheinsectisseeking,namely,theyounglarvaoftheMason-beeenclosedinitscocoon。TheircontentsconsistoftherefusesooftenmetwithinoldChalicodoma-nests:liquidhoneyleftunemployed,becausetheegghasperished;spoiltprovisions,sometimesmildewed,orsometimesatarrymass;adeadlarva,stiffenedintoabrowncylinder;theshrivelledcorpseofaperfectinsect,whichlackedthestrengthtoeffectitsdeliverance;dustandrubbishwhichhascomefromtheexit-windowafterwardsclosedupbytheoutercoatingofplaster。Theodoriferouseffluviathatcanemanatefromtheserelicscertainlypossessverydiversecharacters。Asenseofsmellwithanysubtletyatallwouldnotbedeceivedbythisstuff,sour,’high,’mustyortarryasthecasemaybe;eachcompartment,accordingtoitscontents,hasaspecialaroma,whichwemightormightnotbeabletoperceive;andthisaromamostcertainlybearsnoresemblancetothatwhichwemayassumethemuch-desiredfreshlarvatopossess。IfneverthelesstheLeucopsisdoesnotdistinguishbetweenthesevariouscellsanddrivestheprobeintoallofthemindifferently,isthisnotanevidentproofthatsmellisnoguidewhatevertoherinhersearch?Otherconsiderations,whenIwastreatingoftheHairyAmmophila,enabledmetoassertthattheantennaehavenoolfactorypowers。To-day,thefrequentmistakesoftheLeucopsis,whoseantennaeareneverthelessconstantlyexploringthesurface,makethisconclusionabsolutelycertain。
Theperforatorofclaynestshas,soitseemstome,deliveredusfromanoldphysiologicalfallacy。Shewoulddeservestudying,iffornootherresultthanthis;butherinterestisfarfrombeingexhausted。
Letuslookatherfromanotherpointofview,whosefullimportancewillnotbeapparentuntiltheend;letusspeakofsomethingwhichI
wasveryfarfromsuspectingwhenIwassoassiduouslywatchingthenestsofmyMason-bees。
ThesamecellcanreceivetheLeucopsis’probeanumberoftimes,atintervalsofseveraldays。IhavesaidhowIusedtomarkinblacktheexactplaceatwhichthelaying-implementhadenteredandhowIwrotethedateoftheoperationbesideit。Well,atmanyofthesealreadyvisitedspots,concerningwhichIpossessedthemostauthenticdocuments,Isawtheinsectreturnasecond,athirdandevenafourthtime,eitheronthesamedayorsomewhileafter,anddriveitsinoculating-threadinagain,atpreciselythesameplace,asthoughnothinghadhappened。Wasitthesameindividualrepeatingheroperationinacellwhichshehadvisitedbeforebutforgotten,ordifferentindividualscomingoneaftertheothertolayanegginacompartmentthoughttobeunoccupied?Icannotsay,havingneglectedtomarktheoperators,forfearofdisturbingthem。
Asthereisnothing,exceptthemarkofmypencil,amarkdevoidofmeaningtotheinsect,toindicatethattheaugerhasalreadybeenatworkthere,itmayeasilyhappenthatthesameoperator,findingunderherfeetaspotalreadyexploitedbyherselfbuteffacedfromhermemory,repeatsthethrustofhertoolinacompartmentwhichshebelievesherselftobediscoveringforthefirsttime。Howeverretentiveitsmemoryforplacesmaybe,wecannotadmitthattheinsectremembersforweeksonend,aswellaspointbypoint,thetopographyofanestcoveringasurfaceofsomesquareyards。Itsrecollections,ifithaveany,serveitbadly;theoutwardappearancegivesitnoinformation;anditsdrillenterswhereveritmayhappentodiscoveracell,atpointsthathavealreadyperhapsbeenpiercedseveraltimesover。
Itmayalsohappen——andthisappearstomethemostfrequentcase——
thatoneexploiterofacellissucceededbyasecond,athird,afourthandothersstill,allfiredwiththenewcomer’szealbecausetheirpredecessorshaveleftnotraceoftheirpassage。Inonewayoranother,thesamecellisexposedtomanifoldlayings,thoughitscontents,theChalicodoma-grub,beonlythebarerationofasingleLeucopsis-grub。
Thesereiteratedboringsarenotatallrare:Inotedascoreofthemonmytiles;and,inthecaseofsomecells,theoperationwasrepeatedbeforemyeyesasoftenasfourtimes。Nothingtellsusthatthisnumberwasnotexceededinmyabsence。ThelittlethatIobservedpreventsmefromfixinganylimit。Andnowamomentousquestionarises:istheeggreallylaideachtimethattheprobeentersacell?
Icanseenottheslightestexcuseforsupposingthecontrary。Theovipositor,becauseofitshornynature,canhavebutaverydullsenseoftouch。Theinsectisapprisedofthecontentsofthecellonlybytheendofthatlonghorse-hair,anotverytrustworthywitness,Ishouldimagine。Theabsenceofresistancetellsitthatithasreachedanemptyspace;andthisisprobablytheonlyinformationthattheinsensibleimplementcansupply。Thedrillboringthroughtherockcannottellthemineranythingaboutthecontentsofthecavernwhichithasentered;andthecasemustbethesamewiththerigidfilamentoftheLeucopses。
Nowthatthethreadhasreacheditsgoal,whatdoesthecellcontain?
Mildewedhoney,dustandrubbish,ashrivelledlarva,oralarvaingoodcondition?Aboveall,doesitalreadycontainanegg?Thislastquestioncallsforadefiniteanswer,butasamatteroffactitisimpossiblefortheinsecttolearnanythingfromahorse-haironthatmostdelicatematter,thepresenceorabsenceofanegg,amereatomofathing,inthatvastapartment。Evenadmittingsomesenseoftouchattheendofthedrill,oneinsuperabledifficultywouldalwaysremain:thatoffindingtheexactspotwherethetinyspeckliesinthosespaciousandmysteriousregions。Igosofarastobelievethattheovipositortellstheinsectnothing,oratanyrateverylittle,oftheinsideofthecell,whetherpropitiousornottothedevelopmentofthegerm。Perhapseachthrustoftheinstrument,providedthatitmeetswithnoresistancefromsolidmatter,laystheegg,towhoselottherefallsatonetimegood,wholesomefood,atanothermererefuse。
Theseanomaliescallformoreconclusiveproofsthantheroughdeductionsdrawnfromthenatureofthehornyovipositor。WemustascertaininadirectfashionwhetherthecellintowhichtheaugerhasbeendrivenseveraltimesoveractuallycontainsseveraloccupantsinadditiontothelarvaoftheMason-bee。WhentheLeucopseshadfinishedtheirborings,Iwaitedafewdayslongersoastogivetheyounggrubstimetodevelopalittle,whichwouldmakemyexaminationeasier。Ithenmovedthetilestothetableinmystudy,inordertoinvestigatetheirsecretswiththemostscrupulouscare。AndheresuchadisappointmentasIhaverarelyknownawaitedme。ThecellswhichI
hadseen,actuallyseen,withmyowneyes,piercedbytheprobetwoorthreeorevenfourtimes,containedbutoneLeucopsis-grub,onealone,eatingawayatitsChalicodoma。Others,whichhadalsobeenrepeatedlyprobed,containedspoiltremnants,butneveraLeucopsis。Oholypatience,givemethecouragetobeginagain!Dispelthedarknessanddelivermefromdoubt!
Ibeginagain。TheLeucopsis-grubisfamiliartome;Icanrecognizeit,withoutthepossibilityofamistake,inthenestsofboththeChalicodomaofthePebblesandtheChalicodomaoftheSheds。Allthroughthewinter,Irushabout,gettingmynestsfromtheroofsofoldshedsandthepebblesofthewaste-lands;Istuffmypocketswiththem,fillmybox,loadFavier’sknapsack;Icollectenoughtolitterallthetablesinmystudy;and,whenitistoocoldoutofdoors,whenthebitingmistralblows,Itearopenthefinesilkofthecocoonstodiscovertheinhabitant。MostofthemcontaintheMasonintheperfectstate;othersgivemethelarvaoftheAnthrax;others——
verynumerous,these——givemethelarvaoftheLeucopsis。Andthislastisalone,alwaysalone,invariablyalone。Thewholethingisutterlyincomprehensiblewhenoneknows,asIknow,howmanytimestheprobeenteredthosecells。
Myperplexityonlyincreaseswhen,onthereturnofsummer,IwitnessforthesecondtimetheLeucopsis’repeatedoperationsonthesamecellsandforthesecondtimefindasinglelarvainthecompartmentswhichhavebeenboredseveraltimesover。ShallIthenbeforcedtoacceptthattheaugerisabletorecognizethecellsalreadycontaininganeggandthatitthenceforthrefrainsfromlayingthere?
MustIadmitanextraordinarysenseoftouchinthatbitofhorse-
hair,orevenbetter,asortofdivinationwhichdeclareswheretheegglieswithouthavingtotouchit?ButIamraving!Thereiscertainlysomethingthatescapesme;andtheobscurityoftheproblemissimplyduetomyincompleteinformation。Opatience,supremevirtueoftheobserver,cometomyaidoncemore!Imustbeginalloveragainforthethirdtime。
Untilnow,myinvestigationshavebeenmadesometimeafterthelaying,ataperiodwhenthelarvaisatleastfairlydeveloped。Whoknows?Somethingperhapshappens,attheverycommencementofinfancy,thatmaymisleadmeafterwards。ImustapplytotheeggitselfifI
wouldlearnthesecretwhichthegrubwillnotreveal。IthereforeresumemyobservationsinthefirstfortnightofJuly,whentheLeucopsesarebeginningtovisitbusilybothMason-bee’snests。Thepebblesinthewaste-landssupplymewithplentyofbuildingsoftheChalicodomaoftheWalls;thebyresscatteredhereandthereinthefieldsgiveme,undertheirdilapidatedroofs,infragmentsbrokenoffwiththechisel,theedificesoftheChalicodomaoftheSheds。Iamanxiousnottocompletethedestructionofmyhomehives,alreadysosorelytriedbymyexperiments;theyhavetaughtmemuchandcanteachmemore。Aliencolonies,pickedupmoreorlesseverywhere,providemewithmybooty。Withmylensinonehandandmyforcepsintheother,I
gothroughmycollectiononthesameday,withtheprudenceandcarewhichonlythelaboratory-tablepermits。Theresultsatfirstfallfarshortofmyexpectations。IseenothingthatIhavenotseenbefore。I
makefreshexpeditions,afterafewdays’interval;Ibringbackfreshloadsoflumpsofmortar,untilatlastfortunesmilesuponme。
Reasonwasnotatfault。Eachthrustmeansthelayingofaneggwhentheprobereachesthecell。HereisacocoonoftheMason-beeofthePebbleswithaneggsidebysidewiththeChalicodoma-grub。Butwhatacuriousegg!Neverhavemyeyesbeheldthelike;andthenisitreallytheeggoftheLeucopsis?Greatwasmyapprehension。ButIbreathedagainwhenIfound,acoupleofweekslater,thattheegghadbecomethelarvawithwhichIwasfamiliar。ThosecocoonswithasingleeggareasnumerousasIcanwish;theyexceedmywishes:mylittleglassreceptaclesaretoofewtoholdthem。
Andhereareothers,morepreciousonesstill,withmanifoldlayings。
Ifindplentywithtwoeggs;Ifindsomewiththreeorfour;thebest-
colonisedoffermeasmanyasfive。And,tocrownmydelight,thejoyoftheseekertowhomsuccesscomesatthelastmoment,whenheisonthevergeofdespair,hereagain,dulyfurnishedwithanegg,isasterilecocoon,thatistosay,onecontainingonlyashrivelledanddecayinglarva。Allmysuspicionsareconfirmed,downtothemostinconsequent:theegghousedwithamassofputrefaction。
ThenestsoftheMason-beeoftheWallsarethemoreregularinstructureandareeasiertoexamine,becausetheirbaseiswideopenonceitisseparatedfromthesupportingpebble;anditwasthesewhichsuppliedmewithbyfarthegreaterpartofmyinformation。
ThoseoftheMason-beeoftheShedshavetobechippedawaywithahammerbeforeonecaninspecttheircells,whichareheapedupanyhow;
andtheydonotlendthemselvesanythinglikesowelltodelicateinvestigations,astheysufferbothfromtheshockandtheill-
treatment。
Andnowthethingisdone:itremainscertainthattheLeucopsis’
layingisexposedtoveryexceptionaldangers。Shecanentrusttheeggtosterilecells,withoutprovisionsfittouse;shecanestablishseveralinthesamecell,thoughthiscellcontainsnourishmentforoneonly。Whethertheyproceedfromasingleindividualreturningseveraltimes,byinadvertence,tothesameplace,oraretheworkofdifferentindividualsunawareofthepreviousborings,thosemultiplelayingsareveryfrequent,almostasmuchsoasthenormallayings。
ThelargestwhichIhavenoticedconsistedoffiveeggs,butwehavenoauthorityforlookinguponthisnumberasanoutsidelimit。Whocouldsay,whentheperforatorsarenumerous,towhatlengthsthisaccumulationcango?Iwillsetforthonsomefutureoccasionhowtherationofoneeggremainsinrealitytherationofoneegg,despitethemultiplicityofbanqueters。
Iwillendbydescribingtheegg,whichisawhite,opaqueobject,shapedlikeamuch-elongatedoval。Oneoftheendsislengthenedoutintoaneckorpedicle,whichisaslongastheeggproper。Thisneckissomewhatwrinkled,sinuousandasaruleconsiderablycurved。Thewholethingisnotatallunlikecertaingourdswithanelongatedpaunchandasnake-likeneck。Thetotallength,pedicleandall,isabout3millimetres。(Aboutone-eighthofaninch。——Translator’sNote。)Itisneedlesstosay,afterrecognizingthegrub’smanneroffeeding,thatthiseggisnotlaidinsidethefosteringlarva。Yet,beforeIknewthehabitsoftheLeucopsis,IwouldreadilyhavebelievedthateveryHymenopteronarmedwithalongprobeinsertshereggsintothevictim’ssides,astheIchneumon-fliesdototheCaterpillars。Imentionthisforthebenefitofanywhomaybeunderthesameerroneousimpression。
TheLeucopsis’eggisnotevenlaidupontheMason-bee’slarva;itishungbyitsbentpedicletothefibrouswallofthecocoon。WhenIgotoworkverydelicately,soasnottodisturbthearrangementinknockingthenestoffitssupport,andthenextractandopenthecocoon,Iseetheeggswingingfromthesilkenvault。Butittakesverylittletomakeitfall。Andso,mostoften,eventhoughitbemerelytheeffectoftheshocksustainedwhenthenestisremovedfromitspebble,Ifindtheeggdetachedfromitssuspension-pointandlyingbesidethelarva,towhichitneveradheresinanycircumstances。TheLeucopsis’probedoesnotpenetratebeyondthecocoontraversed;andtheeggremainsfastenedtotheceiling,inthecrookofsomesilkythread,bymeansofitshookedpedicle。
INDEX。
AmazonAnt(seeRedAnt)。
Ammophila。
Ammophilahirsuta(seeHairyAmmophila)。
Ant(seealsoBlackAnt,RedAnt)。
Anthidium(seealsoCotton-bee,DiademAnthidium)。
Anthophora(seealsoHairy-footedAnthophora)。
Anthrax(seealsoAnthraxsinuata)。
Anthraxsinuata。
Anthrenus。
Ape。
Aphis。
Baboon。
Bastien。
Bee。
Bembex(seealsoBembexrostrata)。
Bembexrostrata。
BlackAnt。
Blanchard,Emile。
BlueOsmia。
Bombylius。
Bumble-bee。
Butterfly。
Cabbage-caterpillar。
Cagliostro。
Carrier-pigeon。
CastelnaudelaPorte,FrancisComtede。
Cat。
Caterpillar(seealsoCabbage-caterpillar,GreyWorm,ProcessionaryCaterpillar,Spurge-caterpillar)。
Cerceris(seealsoGreatCerceris)。
Cerceristuberculata(seeGreatCerceris)。
Cetonia。
Chalcis。
Chalicodoma(seeMason-bee)。
Chalicodomamuraria(seeMason-beeoftheWalls)。
Chalicodomapyrenaica,C。pyrrhopeza,C。rufitarsis,C。sicula(seeMason-beeoftheSheds)。
Chalicodomarufescens(seeMason-beeoftheShrubs)。
Chat。
Chrysis(seealsoParnopescarnea,Stilbumcalens)。
Clerus。
Coelyoxis。
CommonLizard。
CommonWasp。
CorneliusNepos。
Cotton-bee。
Cricket。
Crioceris。
Crocisa。
Darwin,CharlesRobert。
Darwin,Erasmus。
DiademAnthidium。
Dioxys。
Dioxyscincta(seeDioxys)。
Dog。
Dufour,JeanMarieLeon。
DuhamelduMonceau,HenriLouis。
Duruy,JeanVictor。
Euclid。
EumenesAmadei。
EyedLizard。
Fabre,Mlle。Aglae,theauthor’sdaughter。
Fabre,Mlle。Antonia,theauthor’sdaughter。
Fabre,Mlle。Claire,theauthor’sdaughter。
Fabre,Mlle。Lucie,theauthor’sgranddaughter。
Favier,theauthor’sfactotum。
Fly。
Franklin,Benjamin。
Gad-fly。
Gnat。
GoldenWasp(seeChrysis)。
Gold-fish。
Grasshopper(seeGreenGrasshopper)。
GreatCerceris。
GreenGrasshopper。
GreyLizard。
GreyWorm。
HairyAmmophila。
Hairy-footedAnthophora。
Halictus。
Hive-bee。
Huber,Francois。
Ichneumon-fly。
Lacordaire,JeanTheodore。
Lamb。
Lark。
Latreille’sOsmia。
Leaf-cutter(seeMegachile)。
Leucopsis。
Leucopsisdorsigera。
Leucopsisgigas(seeLeucopsis)。
LeVaillant,Francois。
Lion。
Lizard(seeCommonLizard,EyedLizard,GreyLizard)。
Locust。
Loriol,Dr。
Loriol,Mme。
Lucas,PierreHippolyte。
MacmillanandCo。,Ltd。
\"MademoiselleMori\",authorof。
Mantis(seePrayingMantis)。
Martin。
Mason-bee(seealsothevarietiesbelow)。
Mason-beeofthePebbles(seeMason-beeoftheWalls)。
Mason-beeoftheSheds。
Mason-beeoftheShrubs。
Mason-beeoftheWalls。
Megachile。
Megachileapicalis(seeMegachile)。
Melecta。
Meloe(seeOil-beetle)。
Mesmer。
Miall,Bernard。
Monodontomeruscupreus。
Morawitz’Osmia。
Moth。
Mutilla。
NapoleonIII。,theEmperor。
Newton,SirIsaac。
Oil-beetle。
Oryctes。
Osmia(seealsothevarietiesbelow)。
Osmiacyanea(seeBlueOsmia)。
Osmiacyanoxantha。
OsmiaLatreillii(seeLatreille’sOsmia)。
OsmiaMorawitzi(seeMorawitz’Osmia)。
Osmiatricornis(seeThree-hornedOsmia)。
Osmiatridentata(seeThree-prongedOsmia)。
Ox。
Parnopescarnea。
Perez,ProfessorJean。
Philanthusapivorus。
Polyergusrufescens(seeRedAnt)。
Pompilus。
PrayingMantis。
ProcessionaryCaterpillar。
Psithyrus。
Ptinus。
Rabbit。
Reaumur,ReneAntoineFerchaultde。
RedAnt。
Republican(seeSocialWeaver-bird)。
Resin-bee。
Rhinoceros-beetle(seeOryctes)。
RingedCalicurgus(seePompilus)。
Rodwell,MissFrances。
Rose-chafer(seeCetonia)。
SacredBeetle。
Sapygapunctata(seeSpottedSapyga)。
Saw-fly。
Scolia。
Sheep。
SicilianMason-bee(seeMason-beeoftheSheds)。
SocialBee(seeHive-bee)。
SocialWasp(seeCommonWasp)。
SocialWeaver-bird。
Sphex(seealsoYellow-wingedSphex。)
Spider。
SpottedSapyga。
Spurge-caterpillar。
Stelis(seealsoStelisnasuta)。
Stelisnasuta。
Stilbumcalens。
Swallow。
Swift。
Tachina。
Tachytes。
TeixeiradeMattos,Alexander。
Three-hornedOsmia。
Three-prongedOsmia。
Tiger。
Toussenel,Alphonse。
Tripoxylon。
Turnip-caterpillar,Turnip-moth(seeGreyWorm)。
Wagtail(seeWhiteWagtail)。
WartedCerceris(seeGreatCerceris)。
Wasp(seealsoCommonWasp)。
Weevil。
WhiteWagtail。
WildBoar。
Wolf。
Yellow-wingedSphex。