Shedoesworse。Whenthetimeofthenymphosiscomes,theHalictusmothergoestothecellsrifledbytheparasiteandclosesthemwithanearthenplugascarefullyasshedoestherest。Thisfinalbarricade,anexcellentprecautionwhenthecotisoccupiedbyanHalictusincourseofmetamorphosis,becomestheheightofabsurditywhentheGnathaspassedthatway。Instinctdoesnothesitateinthefaceofthisineptitude:itsealsupemptiness。Isay,emptiness,becausethecraftymaggothastenstodecamptheinstantthatthevictualsareconsumed,asthoughitforesawaninsuperableobstacleforthecomingFly:itquitsthecellbeforetheBeeclosesit。
Torascallyguiletheparasiteaddsprudence。All,untilthereisnoneofthemleft,abandontheclayhomeswhichwouldbetheirundoingoncetheentrancewaspluggedup。Theearthenniche,sogratefultothetenderskin,thankstoitspolishedcoating,sofreefromhumidity,thankstoitswaterproofglaze,ought,onewouldthink,tomakeanexcellentwaiting—place。Themaggotswillhavenoneofit。LesttheyshouldfindthemselveswalledinwhentheybecomefrailGnats,theygoawayanddisperseintheneighbourhoodoftheascendingshaft。
Mydiggingoperations,infact,alwaysrevealthepupaeoutsidethecells,neverinside。Ifindthemenshrined,onebyone,inthebodyoftheclayeyearth,inanarrowrecesswhichtheemigrantwormhascontrivedtomakeforitself。Nextspring,whenthehourcomesforleaving,theadultinsecthasbuttocreepthroughtherubbish,whichiseasywork。
Anotherandnolessimperativereasoncompelsthischangeofabodeontheparasite'spart。InJuly,asecondgenerationoftheHalictusisprocreated。TheGnat,reducedonhersidetoasinglebrood,remainsinthepupastateandawaitsthespringofthefollowingyearbeforeeffectinghertransformation。Thehoney—gatherresumesherworkinhernativevillage;sheavailsherselfofthepitsandcellsconstructedinthespring,savingnolittletimethereby。Thewholeelaboratestructurehasremainedingoodcondition。Itneedsbutafewrepairstomaketheoldhousehabitable。
NowwhatwouldhappeniftheBee,soscrupulousinmattersofcleanliness,weretofindapupainthecellwhichsheissweeping？
Shewouldtreatthecumbersomeobjectasshewouldapieceofoldplaster。Itwouldbenomoretoherthananyotherrefuse,abitofgravel,which,seizedwiththemandibles,crushedperhaps,wouldbesenttojointherubbish—heapoutside。Onceremovedfromthesoilandexposedtotheinclemenciesoftheweather,thepupawouldinevitablyperish。
Iadmirethisintelligentforesightofthemaggot,whichforgoesthecomfortofthemomentforthesecurityofthefuture。Twodangersthreatenit:tobeimmuredinacasketwhencetheFlycanneverissue;orelsetodieoutofdoors,intheunkindlyair,whentheBeesweepsouttherestoredcells。Toavoidthistwofoldperil,itdecampsbeforethedoorisclosed,beforetheJulyHalictussetsherhouseinorder。
Letusnowseewhatcomesoftheparasite'sintrusion。InthecourseofJune,whenpeaceisestablishedintheHalictus'home,Idigupmylargestvillage,comprisingsomefiftyburrowsinall。Noneofthesorrowsofthisunderworldshallescapeme。Therearefourofusengagedinsiftingtheexcavatedearththroughourfingers。Whatonehasexaminedanothertakesupandexamines;andthenanotherandanotheryet。Thereturnsareheartrending。WedonotsucceedinfindingonesinglenymphoftheHalictus。Thewholeofthepopulouscityhasperished;anditsplacehasbeentakenbytheGnat。Thereisaglutofthatindividual'spupae。Icollecttheminordertotracetheirevolution。
Theyearrunsitscourse;andthelittlerussetkegs,intowhichtheoriginalmaggotshavehardenedandcontracted,remainstationary。
Theyareseedsendowedwithlatentlife。TheheatsofJulydonotrousethemfromtheirtorpor。Inthatmonth,theperiodofthesecondgenerationoftheHalictus,thereisasortoftruceofGod:theparasiterestsandtheBeeworksinpeace。Ifhostilitiesweretoberesumedstraightaway,asmurderousinsummerastheywereinspring,theprogenyoftheHalictus,toocruellysmitten,mightpossiblydisappearaltogether。Thislullreadjuststhebalance。
InApril,whentheZebraHalictus,insearchofagoodplaceforherburrows,roamsupanddownthegardenpathswithheroscillatingflight,theparasite,onitsside,hastenstohatch。Oh,thepreciseandterribleagreementbetweenthosetwocalendars,thecalendarofthepersecutorandthepersecuted！AttheverymomentwhentheBeecomesout,hereistheGnat:sheisreadytobeginherdeadlystarving—processalloveragain。
Werethisanisolatedcase,one'smindwouldnotdwelluponit:anHalictusmoreorlessintheworldmakeslittledifferenceinthegeneralbalance。But,alas,brigandageinallitsformsistheruleintheeternalconflictoflivingthings！Fromthelowesttothehighest,everyproducerisexploitedbytheunproductive。Manhimself,whoseexceptionalrankoughttoraisehimabovesuchbaseness,excelsinthisraveninglust。Hesaystohimselfthatbusinessmeansgettingholdofotherpeople'scash,evenastheGnatsaystoherselfthatbusinessmeansgettingholdoftheHalictus'
honey。And,toplaythebrigandtobetterpurpose,heinventswar,theartofkillingwholesaleandofdoingwithglorythatwhich,whendoneonasmallerscale,leadstothegallows。
ShallweneverbeholdtherealizationofthatsublimevisionwhichissungonSundaysinthesmallestvillage—church:GloriainexcelsisDeo,etinterrapaxhominibusbonaevoluntatis！Ifwaraffectedhumanityalone,perhapsthefuturewouldhavepeaceinstoreforus,seeingthatgenerousmindsareworkingforitwithmightandmain;
butthescourgealsoragesamongtheloweranimals,whichintheirobstinateway,willneverlistentoreason。Oncetheevilislaiddownasageneralcondition,itperhapsbecomesincurable。Lifeinthefuture,itistobefeared,willbewhatitisto—day,aperpetualmassacre。
Whereupon,byadesperateeffortoftheimagination,onepicturestooneselfagiantcapableofjugglingwiththeplanets。Heisirresistiblestrength;heisalsolawandjustice。Heknowsofourbattles,ourbutcheries,ourfarm—burnings,ourtown—burnings,ourbrutaltriumphs;heknowsourexplosives,ourshells,ourtorpedo—
boats,ourironcladsandallourcunningenginesofdestruction;heknowsaswelltheappallingextentoftheappetitesamongallcreatures,downtotheverylowest。Well,ifthatjustandmightyoneheldtheearthunderhisthumb,wouldhehesitatewhetherheoughttocrushit？
Hewouldnothesitate……Hewouldletthingstaketheircourse。Hewouldsaytohimself:
'Theoldbeliefisright;theearthisarottenapple,gnawedbytheverminofevil。Itisafirstcrudeattempt,asteptowardsakindlierdestiny。Letitbe:orderandjusticearewaitingattheend。'
CHAPTER13。THEHALICTI:THEPORTRESS。
Leavingourvillageisnoveryseriousmatterwhenwearechildren。
Weevenlookonitasasortofholiday。Wearegoingtoseesomethingnew,thosemagicpicturesofourdreams。Withagecomeregrets;andthecloseoflifeisspentinstirringupoldmemories。
Thenthebelovedvillagereappears,inthebiographofthemind,embellished,transfiguredbytheglowofthosefirstimpressions;andthementalimage,superiortothereality,standsoutinamazinglyclearrelief。Thepast,thefar—offpast,wasonlyyesterday;weseeit,wetouchit。
Formypart,afterthree—quartersofacentury,IcouldwalkwithmyeyesclosedstraighttotheflatstonewhereIfirstheardthesoftchimingnoteoftheMidwifeToad;yes,Ishouldfindittoacertainty,iftime,whichdevastatesallthings,eventhehomesofToads,hasnotmoveditorperhapsleftitinruins。
Isee,onthemarginofthebrook,theexactpositionofthealder—
treeswhosetangledroots,deepunderthewater,werearefugefortheCrayfish。Ishouldsay:
'ItisjustatthefootofthattreethatIhadtheunutterableblissofcatchingabeauty。Shehadhornssolong……andenormousclaws,fullofmeat,forIgotherjustattherighttime。'
Ishouldgowithoutfalteringtotheashunderwhoseshademyheartbeatsoloudlyonesunnyspringmorning。Ihadcaughtsightofasortofwhite,cottonyballamongthebranches。Peepingfromthedepthsofthewaddingwasananxiouslittleheadwitharedhoodtoit。Owhatunparalleledluck！ItwasaGoldfinch,sittingonhereggs。
Comparedwithafindlikethis,lessereventsdonotcount。Letusleavethem。Inanycase,theypalebeforethememoryofthepaternalgarden,atinyhanginggardenofsomethirtypacesbyten,situatedrightatthetopofthevillage。Theonlyspotthatoverlooksitisalittleesplanadeonwhichstandstheoldcastle（TheChateaudeSaint—LeonsstandingjustoutsideandabovethevillageofSaint—
Leons,wheretheauthorwasbornin1823。Cf。"TheLifeoftheFly":
chapters6and7。——Translator'sNote。）withthefourturretsthathavenowbecomedovecotes。Asteeppathtakesyouuptothisopenspace。Frommyhouseon,itismorelikeaprecipicethanaslope。
Gardensbuttressedbywallsarestagedinterracesonthesidesofthefunnel—shapedvalley。Oursisthehighest;itisalsothesmallest。
Therearenotrees。Evenasolitaryapple—treewouldcrowdit。Thereisapatchofcabbages,withaborderofsorrel,apatchofturnipsandanotheroflettuces。Thatisallwehaveinthewayofgarden—
stuff;thereisnoroomformore。Againsttheuppersupporting—wall,facingduesouth,isavine—arbourwhich,atintervals,whenthesunisgenerous,provideshalfabasketfulofwhitemuscatelgrapes。
Thesearealuxuryofourown,greatlyenviedbytheneighbours,forthevineisunknownoutsidethiscorner,thewarmestinthevillage。
Ahedgeofcurrant—bushes,theonlysafeguardagainstaterriblefall,formsaparapetabovethenextterrace。Whenourparents'
watchfuleyesareoffus,welieflatonourstomachs,mybrotherandI,andlookintotheabyssatthefootofthewallbulgingunderthethrustoftheland。Itisthegardenofmonsieurlenotaire。
Therearebedswithbox—bordersinthatgarden;therearepear—treesreputedtogivepears,realpears,moreorlessgoodtoeatwhentheyhaveripenedonthestrawallthroughthelateautumn。Inourimagination,itisaspotofperpetualdelight,aparadise,butaparadiseseenthewrongwayup:insteadofcontemplatingitfrombelow,wegazeatitfromabove。Howhappytheymustbewithsomuchspaceandallthosepears！
Welookatthehives,aroundwhichthehoveringBeesmakeasortofrussetsmoke。Theystandundertheshelterofagreathazel。Thetreehassprungupallofitselfinafissureofthewall,almostonthelevelofourcurrant—bushes。Whileitspreadsitsmightybranchesoverthenotary'shives,itsroots,atleast,areonourland。Itbelongstous。Thetroubleistogatherthenuts。
Icreepalongastridethestrongbranchesprojectinghorizontallyintospace。IfIsliporifthesupportbreaks,IshallcometogriefinthemidstoftheangryBees。Idonotslipandthesupportdoesnotbreak。Withthebentswitchwhichmybrotherhandsme,Ibringthefinestclusterswithinmyreach。Isoonfillmypockets。Movingbackwards,stillstraddlingmybranch,Irecoverterrafirma。O
wondrousdaysoflithenessandassurance,when,forafewfilberts,onaperilousperchwebravedtheabyss！
Enough。Thesereminiscences,sodeartomydreams,donotinterestthereader。Whystirupmoreofthem？Iamcontenttohavebroughtthisfactintoprominence:thefirstglimmersoflightpenetratingintothedarkchambersofthemindleaveanindelibleimpression,whichtheyearsmakefresherinsteadofdimmer。
Obscuredbyeverydayworries,thepresentismuchlessfamiliartous,initspettydetails,thanthepast,withchildhood'sglowuponit。Iseeplainlyinmymemorywhatmyprenticeeyessaw;andI
shouldneversucceedinreproducingwiththesameaccuracywhatIsawlastweek。Iknowmyvillagethoroughly,thoughIquitteditsolongago;andIknowhardlyanythingofthetownstowhichthevicissitudesoflifehavebroughtme。Anexquisitelysweetlinkbindsustoournativesoil;weareliketheplantthathastobetornawayfromthespotwhereitputoutitsfirstroots。Poorthoughitbe,I
shouldlovetoseemyownvillageagain;Ishouldliketoleavemybonesthere。
Doestheinsectinitsturnreceivealastingimpressionofitsearliestvisions？Hasitpleasantmemoriesofitsfirstsurroundings？
Wewillnotspeakofthemajority,aworldofwanderinggipsieswhoestablishthemselvesanywhereprovidedthatcertainconditionsbefulfilled;buttheothers,thesettlers,livingingroups:dotheyrecalltheirnativevillage？Havethey,likeourselves,aspecialaffectionfortheplacewhichsawtheirbirth？
Yes,indeedtheyhave:theyremember,theyrecognizethematernalabode,theycomebacktoit,theyrestoreit,theycolonizeitanew。
Amongmanyotherinstances,letusquotethatoftheZebraHalictus。
Shewillshowusasplendidexampleofloveforone'sbirthplacetranslatingitselfintodeeds。
TheHalictus'springfamilyacquiretheadultforminacoupleofmonthsorso;theyleavethecellsabouttheendofJune。Whatgoesoninsidetheseneophytesastheycrossthethresholdoftheburrowforthefirsttime？Something,apparently,thatmaybecomparedwithourownimpressionsofchildhood。Anexactandindelibleimageisstampedontheirvirginmemories。Despitetheyears,IstillseethestonewhencecametheresonantnotesofthelittleToads,theparapetofcurrant—bushes,thenotary'sgardenofEden。Thesetriflesmakethebestpartofmylife。TheHalictusseesinthesamewaythebladeofgrasswhereonsherestedinherfirstflight,thebitofgravelwhichherclawtouchedinherfirstclimbtothetopoftheshaft。
SheknowshernativeabodebyheartjustasIknowmyvillage。Thelocalityhasbecomefamiliartoherinoneglad,sunnymorning。
Shefliesoff,seeksrefreshmentontheflowersnearathandandvisitsthefieldswherethecomingharvestswillbegathered。Thedistancedoesnotleadherastray,sofaithfulareherimpressionsofherfirsttrip;shefindstheencampmentofhertribe;amongtheburrowsofthevillage,sonumerousandsocloselyresemblingoneanother,sheknowsherown。Itisthehousewhereshewasborn,thebelovedhousewithitsunforgettablememories。
But,onreturninghome,theHalictusisnottheonlymistressofthehouse。ThedwellingdugbythesolitaryBeeinearlyspringremains,whensummercomes,thejointinheritanceofthemembersofthefamily。Therearetencells,orthereabouts,underground。Nowfromthesecellstherehaveissuednonebutfemales。ThisistheruleamongthethreespeciesofHalictithatconcernusnowandprobablyalsoamongmanyothers,ifnotall。Theyhavetwogenerationsineachyear。Thespringoneconsistsoffemalesonly;thesummeronecomprisesbothmalesandfemales,inalmostequalnumbers。Weshallreturntothiscurioussubjectinournextchapter。
Thehousehold,therefore,ifnotreducedbyaccidents,aboveallifnotstarvedbytheusurpingGnat,wouldconsistofhalf—a—scoreofsisters,nonebutsisters,allequallyindustriousandallcapableofprocreatingwithoutanuptialpartner。Ontheotherhand,thematernaldwellingisnohovel;farfromit:theentrance—gallery,theprincipalroomofthehouse,willservequitewell,afterafewoddsandendsofrefusehavebeensweptaway。Thiswillbesomuchgainedintime,everprecioustotheBee。Thecellsatthebottom,theclaycabins,arealsonearlyintact。Tomakeuseofthem,itwillbeenoughfortheHalictustopolishupthestuccowithhertongue。
Well,whichofthesurvivors,allequallyentitledtothesuccession,willinheritthehouse？Therearesixofthem,seven,ormore,accordingtothechancesofmortality。Towhosesharewillthematernaldwellingfall？
Thereisnoquarrelbetweentheinterestedparties。Themansionisrecognizedascommonpropertywithoutdispute。Thesisterscomeandgopeacefullythroughthesamedoor,attendtotheirbusiness,passandlettheotherspass。Downatthebottomofthepit,eachhasherlittledemesne,hergroupofcellsdugatthecostoffreshtoil,whentheoldones,nowinsufficientinnumber,areoccupied。Intheserecesses,whichareprivateestates,eachmotherworksbyherself,jealousofherpropertyandofherprivacy。Everyelsewhere,trafficisfreetoall。
Theexitsandentrancesintheworkingfortressprovideaspectacleofthehighestinterest。Aharvesterarrivesfromthefields,thefeather—brushesofherlegspowderedwithpollen。Ifthedoorbeopen,theBeeatoncedivesunderground。Totarryonthethresholdwouldmeanwasteoftime;andthebusinessisurgent。Sometimes,severalappearuponthesceneatalmostthesamemoment。Thepassageistoonarrowfortwo,especiallywhentheyhavetoavoidanyuntimelycontactthatwouldmaketheflouryburdenfalltothefloor。
Thenearesttotheopeningentersquickly。Theothers,drawnuponthethresholdinorderoftheirarrival,respectfulofoneanother'srights,awaittheirturn。Assoonasthefirstdisappears,thesecondfollowsafterherandisherselfswiftlyfollowedbythethirdandthentheothers,onebyone。
Sometimes,again,thereisameetingbetweenaBeeabouttocomeoutandaBeeabouttogoin。Thenthelatterdrawsbackalittleandmakeswayfortheformer。Thepolitenessisreciprocal。Iseesomewho,whenonthepointofemergingfromthepit,godownagainandleavethepassagefreefortheonewhohasjustarrived。Thankstothismutualspiritofaccommodation,thebusinessofthehouseproceedswithoutimpediment。
Letuskeepoureyesopen。Thereissomethingbetterthanthewell—
preservedorderoftheentrances。WhenanHalictusappears,returningfromherroundoftheflowers,weseeasortoftrap—door,whichclosedthehouse,suddenlyfallandgiveafreepassage。Assoonasthenewarrivalhasentered,thetraprisesbackintoitsplace,almostlevelwiththeground,andclosestheentranceanew。Thesamethinghappenswhentheinsectsgoout。Atarequestfromwithin,thetrapdescends,thedooropensandtheBeefliesaway。Theoutletisclosedforthwith。
Whatcanthisvalvebewhich,descendingorascendinginthecylinderofthepit,afterthefashionofapiston,opensandclosesthehouseateachdepartureandateacharrival？ItisanHalictus,whohasbecometheportressoftheestablishment。Withherlargehead,shemakesanimpassablebarrieratthetopoftheentrance—hall。Ifanyonebelongingtothehousewantstogoinorout,she'pullsthecord,'thatistosay,shewithdrawstoaspotwherethegallerybecomeswiderandleavesroomfortwo。Theotherpasses。Shethenatoncereturnstotheorificeandblocksitwiththetopofherhead。
Motionless,everonthelook—out,shedoesnotleaveherpostsavetodriveawayimportunatevisitors。
Letusprofitbyherbriefappearancesoutsidetotakealookather。
WerecognizeinheranHalictussimilartotheothers,whicharenowbusyharvesting;butthetopofherheadisbaldandherdressisdingyandthread—bare。Allthenapisgone;andonecanhardlymakeoutthehandsomestripesofredandbrownwhichsheusedtohave。
Thesetattered,work—worngarmentsmakethingscleartous。
ThisBeewhomountsguardandperformstheofficeofaportressattheentrancetotheburrowisolderthantheothers。Sheisthefoundressoftheestablishment,themotheroftheactualworkers,thegrandmotherofthepresentgrubs。Inthespringtimeofherlife,threemonthsago,sheworeherselfoutinsolitarylabours。Nowthatherovariesaredriedup,shetakesawell—earnedrest。No,restishardlytheword。Shestillworks,sheassiststhehouseholdtothebestofherpower。Incapableofbeingamotherforasecondtime,shebecomesaportress,opensthedoortothemembersofherfamilyandmakesstrangerskeeptheirdistance。
ThesuspiciousKid（InLaFontaine'sfable,"LeLoup,laChevreetleChevreau。"——Translator'sNote。）,lookingthroughthechink,saidtotheWolf:
'Showmeawhitefoot,orIshan'topenthedoor。'
Nolesssuspicious,thegrandmothersaystoeachcomer:
'ShowmetheyellowfootofanHalictus,oryouwon'tbeletin。'
Noneisadmittedtothedwellingunlesssheberecognizedasamemberofthefamily。
Seeforyourselves。NeartheburrowpassesanAnt,anunscrupulousadventuress,whowouldnotbesorrytoknowthemeaningofthehoneyedfragrancethatrisesfromthebottomofthecellar。
"Beoff,oryou'llcatchit！'saystheportress,waggingherneck。
Asarulethethreatsuffices。TheAntdecamps。Shouldsheinsist,thewatcherleaveshersentry—box,flingsherselfuponthesaucyjade,buffetsheranddrivesheraway。Themomentthepunishmenthasbeenadministered,shereturnstoherpost。
NextcomestheturnofaLeaf—cutter（Megachilealbocincta,PEREZ）,which,unskilledintheartofburrowing,utilizes,afterthemannerofherkin,theoldgalleriesdugbyothers。ThoseoftheZebraHalictussuitherverywell,whentheterribleGnathasleftthemvacantforlackofheirs。Seekingforahomewhereintostackherrobinia—leafhoney—pots,sheoftenmakesaflyinginspectionofmycoloniesofHalicti。Aburrowseemstotakeherfancy;but,beforeshesetsfootonearth,herbuzzingisnoticedbythesentry,whosuddenlydartsoutandmakesafewgesturesonthethresholdofherdoor。Thatisall。TheLeaf—cutterhasunderstood。Shemoveson。
Sometimes,theMegachilehastimetoalightandinsertherheadintothemouthofthepit。Inamoment,theportressisthere,comesalittlehigherandbarstheway。Followsanotveryseriouscontest。
Thestrangerquicklyrecognizestherightsofthefirstoccupantand,withoutinsisting,goestoseekanabodeelsewhere。
Anaccomplishedmarauder（Caelioxyscaudata,SPIN。）,aparasiteoftheMegachile,receivesasounddrubbingundermyeyes。Shethought,thefeather—brain,thatshewasenteringtheLeaf—Cutter'sestablishment！Shesoonfindsouthermistake;shemeetsthedoor—
keepingHalictus,whoadministersasharpcorrection。Shemakesoffatfullspeed。Andsowiththeotherswhich,throughinadvertenceorambition,seektoentertheburrow。
Thesameintoleranceexistsamongthedifferentgrandmothers。AboutthemiddleofJuly,whentheanimationofthecolonyisatitsheight,twosetsofHalictiareeasilydistinguishable:theyoungmothersandtheold。Theformer,muchmorenumerous,briskofmovementandsmartlyarrayed,comeandgounceasinglyfromtheburrowstothefieldsandfromthefieldstotheburrows。Thelatter,fadedanddispirited,wanderidlyfromholetohole。Theylookasthoughtheyhadlosttheirwayandwereincapableoffindingtheirhomes。Whoarethesevagabonds？IseeinthemafflictedonesbereftofafamilythroughtheactoftheodiousGnat。Manyburrowshavebeenaltogetherexterminated。Attheawakeningofsummer,themotherfoundherselfalone。Sheleftheremptyhouseandwentoffinsearchofadwellingwheretherewerecradlestodefend,aguardtomount。
Butthosefortunatenestsalreadyhavetheiroverseer,thefoundress,who,jealousofherrights,givesherunemployedneighbouracoldreception。Onesentryisenough;twowouldmerelyblockthenarrowguard—room。
Iamprivilegedattimestowitnessafightbetweentwograndmothers。
Whenthetrampinquestofemploymentappearsoutsidethedoor,thelawfuloccupantdoesnotmovefromherpost,doesnotwithdrawintothepassage,asshewouldbeforeanHalictusreturningfromthefields。Farfrommakingway,shethreatenstheintruderwithherfeetandmandibles。Theotherretaliatesandtriestoforceherwayinnotwithstanding。Blowsareexchanged。Thefrayendsbythedefeatofthestranger,whogoesofftopickaquarrelelsewhere。
TheselittlescenesaffordusaglimpseofcertaindetailsofthehighestinterestinthehabitsoftheZebraHalictus。Themotherwhobuildshernestinthespringnolongerleavesherhome,onceherworksarefinished。Shutupatthebottomoftheburrow,busiedwiththethousandcaresofhousekeeping,orelsedrowsing,shewaitsforherdaughterstocomeout。When,inthesummerheats,thelifeofthevillagerecommences,havingnoughttodooutsideasaharvester,shestandssentryattheentrancetothehall,soastoletnoneinsavetheworkersofthehome,herowndaughters。Shewardsoffevilly—
disposedvisitors。Nonecanenterwithoutthedoor—keeper'sconsent。
Thereisnothingtotellusthatthewatchereverdesertsherpost。
NotoncedoIseeherleaveherhousetogoandseeksomerefreshmentfromtheflowers。Herageandhersedentaryoccupation,whichinvolvesnogreatfatigue,perhapsrelieveheroftheneedofnourishment。Perhaps,also,theyoungonesreturningfromtheirplunderingmayfromtimetotimedisgorgeadropofthecontentsoftheircropsforherbenefit。Fedorunfed,theoldonenolongergoesout。
Butwhatshedoesneedisthejoysofanactivefamily。Manyaredeprivedofthese。TheGnat'sburglaryhasdestroyedthebusyhousehold。Thesorely—triedBeesabandonthedesertedburrow。Itistheywho,raggedandcareworn,wanderthroughthevillage。Whentheymove,theirflightisonlyashortone;moreoftentheyremainmotionless。Itistheywho,souredintheirtempers,attacktheirfellowsandseektodislodgethem。Theygrowrarerandmorelanguidfromdaytoday;thentheydisappearforgood。Whathasbecomeofthem？ThelittleGreyLizardhadhiseyeonthem:theyareeasilysnappedup。
Thosesettledintheirowndemesne,thosewhoguardthehoney—factorywhereintheirdaughters,theheiressesofthematernalestablishment,areatwork,displaywonderfulvigilance。ThemoreIseeofthem,themoreIadmirethem。Inthecoolhoursoftheearlymorning,whenthepollen—flourisnotsufficientlyripenedbythesunandwhiletheharvestersarestillindoors,Iseethemattheirposts,atthetopofthegallery。Here,motionless,theirheadsflushwiththeearth,theybarthedoortoallinvaders。IfIlookatthemclosely,theyretreatalittleand,intheshadow,awaittheindiscreetobserver'sdeparture。
Ireturnwhentheharvestingisinfullswing,betweeneighto'clockandtwelve。Thereisnow,astheHalictigoinorout,asuccessionofpromptwithdrawalstoopenthedoorandofascentstocloseit。
Theportressisinthefullexerciseofherfunctions。
Intheafternoon,theheatistoogreatandtheworkersdonotgotothefields。Retiringtothebottomofthehouse,theyvarnishthenewcells,theymaketheroundloafthatistoreceivetheegg。Thegrandmotherisstillupstairs,stoppingthedoorwithherbaldhead。
Forher,thereisnosiestaduringthestiflinghours:thesafetyofthehouseholdrequireshertoforgoit。
Icomebackagainatnightfall,orevenlater。Bythelightofalantern,Iagainbeholdtheoverseer,aszealousandassiduousasintheday—time。Theothersareresting,butnotshe,forfear,apparently,ofnocturnaldangersknowntoherselfalone。Doessheneverthelessendbydescendingtothequietofthefloorbelow？Itseemsprobable,soessentialmustrestbe,afterthefatigueofsuchavigil！
Itisevidentthat,guardedinthismanner,theburrowisexemptfromcalamitiessimilartothosewhich,toooften,depopulateitinMay。
LettheGnatcomenow,ifshedare,tostealtheHalictus'loaves！