. The hunting wasps [microform]. Guêpes; Wasps. ii8 The Hunting IVasps actuating men and animals, was walking (3nc day in his garden when he saw on the path a Sphex who had just possessed herself of a Fly- almost as large as herself. He saw her cut off the victim's head and abdomeu with hei mandibles, keeping only the thorax, to which the wings remained attached, after which she flew away ; but a breath of wind, striking the Fly's wings, made the Sphex spin round and prev< nted her progress ; hereupon she alighted agani on the path, cut off one of the Fly's wings and then the other, and, af
. The hunting wasps [microform]. Guêpes; Wasps. ii8 The Hunting IVasps actuating men and animals, was walking (3nc day in his garden when he saw on the path a Sphex who had just possessed herself of a Fly- almost as large as herself. He saw her cut off the victim's head and abdomeu with hei mandibles, keeping only the thorax, to which the wings remained attached, after which she flew away ; but a breath of wind, striking the Fly's wings, made the Sphex spin round and prev< nted her progress ; hereupon she alighted agani on the path, cut off one of the Fly's wings and then the other, and, after thus de- stroying the cause of her difficulties, resumed her flight with what remained of her prey. This fact carries with it manifest signs of reasoning power. Instinct might have led this Si^hex to cut off her victim's wings before carrying it to her nest, as do some specie? of the same genus ; but here there was a sequtiice of ideas and results from those ideas, which are quite inexplicable unless we allow the inter- vention of reason.' This httle story, which so hghtly grants reason to an insect, lacks I will not say truth, not feel justified in taking. Besides, the footnote to the afore- mentioned chapter of The Maavn-beti, which pieccdes the prcsciii volume in the Enj,dish edition, makes sufficient amends for any injury done to the elder Uurwins reputation h^xv. — Tramlator'"s Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Fabre, J. Henri (Jean Henri), 1823-1915; Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander, 1865-1921. London ; Toronto : Hodder and Stoughton
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectwasps, bookyear1916
