therefore, fixed upright by its base in
the middle of the red jam, is most judiciously chosen. What a contrast
between this exquisite maternal forethought and the horrible destruction
by the Anthrax and the Midge!

The egg is rather large for the size of the Osmia. It is cylindrical,
slightly curved, rounded at both ends and transparent. It soon becomes
cloudy, while remaining diaphanous at each extremity. Fine lines, hardly
perceptible to the most penetrating lens, show themselves in transverse
circles. These are the first signs of segmentation. A contraction
appears in the front hyaline part, marking the head. An extremely
thin opaque thread runs down either side. This is the cord of tracheae
communicating between one breathing-hole and another. At last, the
segments show distinctly, with their lateral pads. The grub is born.

At first, one would think that there was no hatching in the proper sense
of the word--that is to say, no bursting and casting of a wrapper.
The most minute attention is necessary to show that appearances are
deceptive and that actually a fine membrane is thrown off from front to
back. This infinitesimal shred is the shell of the egg.

The grub is born. Fixed by its base, it curves into an arc and bends its
head, until now held erect, down to the red mass. The meal begins. Soon
a yellow cord occupying the front two-thirds of the body proclaims that
the digestive apparatus is swelling out with food. For a fortnight,
consume your provender in peace, my child; then spin your cocoon: you
are now safe from the Tachina! Shall you be safe from the Anthrax'
sucker later on? Alack!

CHAPTER 3. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SEXES.

Does the insect know beforehand the sex of the egg which it is about to
lay? When examining the stock of food in the cells just now, we began
to suspect that it does, for each little heap of provisions is carefully
proportioned to the needs at one time of a male and at another of a
female. What we have to do is to turn this suspicion into a certainty
demonstrated by experiment. And first let us find out how the sexes are
arranged.

It is not possible to ascertain the chronological order of a laying,
except by going to suitably-chosen species. Digging up the burrows of
Cerceris-, Bembex- or Philanthus-wasps will never tell us that this grub
has taken precedence of that in point of time nor enable us to decide
whether one cocoon in a colony belongs to the same family as anot