are hatched, the parasites appropriate to themselves so much of the nourishment belonging to the bee, that the latter becomes seriously incommoded by their presence. As from the misappropriation of its blood the bee became weaker and weaker, it would, probably, feeling its end approaching, crawl into some long grass, or other place of concealment.
As soon as the bee was dead, the young Sphærulari probably work their way out of it, and immediately begin to look out for a new victim. Those who are so fortunate as to meet with a large female, or queen, may enter it, as young Gordii have been seen to enter other insects, but do not, in all probability, increase much in size at first. This I infer, firstly, because I have not found Sphærulari in autumn, but principally because they would in this case be much less injurious to the bee than if they immediately began to increase in size. When the spring commences, the female Sphærularia probably begins to grow rapidly, and soon lays eggs. I am inclined to think that young Sphærulari also occur in workers, and that I have overlooked them on account of their minuteness; since there seems no reason to suppose that the young Sphærulari have sufficient intelligence to distinguish Queen Bees from workers, or even from other insects.
M. Fabre, who has so graphically described (Ann. des Sc. Nat, 1858) the extraordinary series of adventures through which the young of Meloë attain to maturity, found that, though their only chance of life was to attach themselves to Anthophora, or to its parasites Melectes and Cælioxys, yet they were equally ready to spring on other insects, or even on pieces of straw, if brought within reach, though, curiously enough, they seem, according to M. Fabre, to gain wisdom by experience, and not to be so easily duped a second time:—
"Il est vrai," says M. Fabre, "qu'arrivés sur ces objets inanimés, ils reconnaissent bientot qu'ils ont fait fausse route, ce que l'on voit aisément à leurs marches et contremarches désesperées, et a leur tendance à revenir sur la fleur s'ils en est encore temps. Ceux qui se sont aussi jetés étourdiment sur un bout de paille, et qu'on laisse retourner sur la fleur, se reprennent diflicilement au même piége. Il y a done aussi pour ces points vivants une mémoire, une experience des choses!"
I have not myself bad any opportunity of repeating these experiments; but some months ago, being on a geological excursion in a sandpit, where there were few, if any flowers, I was surprised to see on a herbaceous plant several yellow flowers with which I was quite unacquainted. On gathering one or two, however, my surprise was increased, when the supposed flower broke up, and ran away, turning out to consist entirely of small, yellow larvæ. Unfortunately I had neither bottle nor pillbox with me, and was unable to carry any specimens home; but it occurred to me at the time that they were young Meloës; and that, in the absence of any flowers near them, they had in this manner attempted to supply the deficiency. I was certainly completely taken in; and as I think that my eyes are better than those of most bees, I have little doubt that they also would have fallen into the trap.
