The Wonders of Instinct: Chapters in the Psychology of InsectsFabre, Jean-Henri
Science
The Wonders of Instinct: Chapters in the Psychology of Insects
Fabre, Jean-Henri
Insects; Instinct
The nest of Eumenes pomiformis is the size of an average cherry and
constructed of pure mortar, without the least outward pebblework. Its
shape is exactly similar to that which we have just described. When
built upon a horizontal base of sufficient extent, it is a dome with a
central neck, funnelled like the mouth of an urn. But when the
foundation is reduced to a mere point, as on the twig of a shrub, the
nest becomes a spherical capsule, always, of course, surmounted by a
neck. It is then a miniature specimen of exotic pottery, a paunchy
alcarraza. Its thickens is very slight, less than that of a sheet of
paper; it crushes under the least effort of the fingers. The outside is
not quite even. It displays wrinkles and seams, due to the different
courses of mortar, or else knotty protuberances distributed almost
concentrically.
Both Hymenoptera accumulate caterpillars in their coffers, whether
domes or jars. Let us give an abstract of the bill of fare. These
documents, for all their dryness, possess a value; they will enable
whoso cares to interest himself in the Eumenes to perceive to what
extent instinct varies the diet, according to the place and season. The
food is plentiful, but lacks variety. It consists of tiny caterpillars,
by which I mean the grubs of small Butterflies. We learn this from the
structure, for we observe in the prey selected by either Hymenopteran
the usual caterpillar organism. The body is composed of twelve
segments, not including the head. The first three have true legs, the
next two are legless, then come two segments with prolegs, two legless
segments and, lastly, a terminal segment with prolegs. It is exactly
the same structure which we saw in the Ammophila's Grey Worm.
My old notes give the following description of the caterpillars found
in the nest of Eumenes Amedei: "a pale green or, less often, a
yellowish body, covered with short white hairs; head wider than the
front segment, dead-black and also bristling with hairs. Length: 16 to
18 millimetres (.63 to .7 inch.--Translator's Note.); width: about 3
millimetres." (.12 inch.--Translator's Note.) A quarter of a century
and more has elapsed since I jotted down this descriptive sketch; and
to-day, at Serignan, I find in the Eumenes' larder the same game which
I noticed long ago at Carpentras. Time and distance have not altered
the nature of the provisions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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