Jean-Henri Fabre

“ How far superior is the method of the Cerceris, so rapid, so cheap, so expeditious! What lessons we should have to learn from such transcendental chemistry when an imperceptible drop of liquid poison renders in an instant the prey incorruptible! What am I saying?—incorruptible?—that is far from being all; the game is put into a condition which prevents desiccation, leaves their suppleness to the limbs, and maintains all the organs in pristine freshness, both the internal and external. In short, the Cerceris puts the insect into a state differing only from life by a corpse-like immobility. ”

“ Just in front of these terrible pincers is the slender body of the spoiler, as the latter draws the victim along. The antennæ are grasped not far from their root, so that the ephippiger, lying on its back, has its mouth now opposite the abdomen, and now the thorax of the Sphex, who, standing high on her long legs, watches, I am convinced, in order not to be seized by the mandibles gaping beneath. A moment of forgetfulness, a slip, a mere nothing, might bring her within reach of a pair of strong nippers which would not let slip the chance of a pitiless vengeance. ”

“ When once they have taken their places nobody stirs, all their vital powers are absorbed by the digestive faculties. No little movement which might cause the loss of a mouthful, no daintiness which might waste the food—everything must be done decently and in order. To see them thus absorbed round a lump of dung, one would say that they were aware of their rôle as earth-cleansers, and consciously devoted themselves to that marvellous chemistry which out of impurity brings the flower that gladdens the eye, and the wing-cases of the Scarabæus which adorn the turf in springtime. ”

“ Who can tell whether the rapid labour and joyous activity of the insect do not express in their own way her maternal satisfaction and happiness in caring for the roof of the cell which has received the precious trust of the egg? As the Bembex confines herself to exterior household cares without seeking to penetrate the sand, everything must be in order within, and there is nothing pressing to do. We may wait, but for the time the insect will teach us nothing more. ”

“ But what shall we say of a sparrow which, turning parasite, should go with splendid audacity and intrust her eggs to the eyrie of a bird of prey—the nest of the sparrowhawk itself—the sanguinary devourer of sparrows? What should we say of the bird of prey who should accept the charge and bring up the brood tenderly? It is precisely thus that the Bembex acts,—she, a captor of Diptera who yet brings up other Diptera—a huntress who distributes food to a prey whose last repast will be her own disembowelled offspring! ”

“ With panting abdomen, antennæ vibrating, the whole body moved by a strong thrill, she springs forward and is out of sight. You still hear the unwearied hum underground, and one sees from time to time hind legs pushing backward a wave of sand to the mouth of the burrow. From time to time labour underground is interrupted either that the Sphex may dust herself in the sunlight, and get rid of grains of dust which insinuate themselves into delicate joints and hamper the liberty of her movements, or that she make a reconnaissance in the neighbourhood. ”

“ Beside him is the ball, to which his associate clings, motionless. Head and toothed legs attack the sand, flinging quantities backward, and the excavation advances rapidly. Soon the insect disappears therein. Each time that he brings a load to upper air he never fails to glance at the ball to make sure that all is going on well. Now and again he brings it nearer to the edge of the cavity, feels it, and seems to gain new zeal from its contact. The other beetle, hypocrite that he is, continues to inspire confidence by his motionless attitude on the ball. ”

“ The Ammophila may be enticed farther and farther by the inviting blossoms. Evening, night, and morning pass, and now she must return to her burrow and complete her task,—return after all her windings and wanderings in the chase that morning, and the flight from flower to flower, and the libations of the previous evening. That a wasp should return to the nest and a bee to the hive does not surprise me; these are permanent abodes, and the ways back are known by long practice, but the Ammophila, who has to return after so long an absence, has no aid from acquaintance with the locality. ”

“ Meanwhile, the sand flies, falling in fine dust on their quivering wings, and the heavier gravel, pulled out bit by bit, rolls far away. If a bit resist too much, the insect goes at it with a high note, reminding one of the cry with which a woodcutter accompanies the stroke of his axe. Under the redoubled efforts of tarsi and mandibles the cavity is already sketched out, and the Sphex can already dart into it. ”

“ Rearing at home has enabled me to follow every detail of the construction of this curious piece of architecture—a real strong box which can brave all the severity of the weather. First of all the larva pushes away the remains of its feast into a corner of the cell, or the compartment arranged for it in a box with paper partitions. Having cleared a space, it affixes to the walls of its abode threads of a beautiful white silk, forming a spidery web which keeps the heap of food-remains at a distance, and serves as scaffolding for the work to come. ”

“ How is it then, I ask myself once more, that the enemy of Diptera should allow herself to be annoyed by another Dipteron—a tiny robber, incapable of the least resistance, which, if she chose, she could destroy instantly? Why, when once free from the prey which hampers her, does she not pounce on these ill-doers? What is needed to exterminate the evil brood around her burrow? ”

“ When the sun shines it is wonderful to see the ways of these hard-working miners. Some patiently extract bits of gravel from the bottom of a hole [53] with their mandibles, and push out the heavy mass; others scratch the walls of their tunnel with the sharp rakes of their tarsi, forming a heap of rubbish which they sweep out backward, and send sliding down the steep incline in long dusty streams. It was these periodical sand waves thrown out of galleries in process of construction which betrayed my first Cerceris, and led to the discovery of the nests. ”

“ The sand, shot backward under the creature, clears the arch of its hind legs, trickling like a liquid in a continuous thread, describing a parabola and falling some eight inches away. This dusty jet, constantly fed for five or ten minutes, is enough to show with what dizzy rapidity the tools are used. I could quote no second example of equal swiftness, which yet in no way detracts from the elegance and free movements of the insect as it advances and retires, now on one side, now on another, without allowing the parabola of sand to stop. ”

“ In these improvised experiments one must know how to turn all things to profit. Not far off on the high road is the fresh dropping of a beast of burden; here is wood for our arrow. The dropping was collected, crushed, and spread in a layer at least an inch thick on the threshold of the burrow and its surroundings over more than a quarter of a yard. Assuredly here was such a façade as never Bembex knew. Colour, the nature of the material, the effluvium,—all combined to deceive the Hymenopteron. Can she take this stretch of manure—this dung—for the front of the dwelling? She does! ”

“ What its nurslings want is a paste made of flies newly crushed, so that it matters little how the game is killed. The sting is used blindly—anywhere, pointed at the head, sides, thorax, or under part of the victim, as chance directs while the two wrestle. The Hymenopteron, paralysing its victim, acts like the surgeon, who directs his scalpel with a skilled hand; the wasp when slaying acts like a common assassin stabbing blindly in a struggle. Thus the resistance of the Eristalis is long, and its death rather the result of being cut up by a pair of scissors than of stabs with a dagger. ”