segments. Close to the line of separation of the last two rings,
I am able to distinguish, not without difficulty, two very small
stigmata, just a little darker in color. They belong to the last
segment. In all, four respiratory orifices, two in front and two
behind, as is the rule among Flies. The length of the full sized
larva is 15 to 20 millimeters and its breadth 5 to 6.

Remarkable in the first place by the protuberance of its thorax
and the smallness of its head, the grub of the Anthrax acquires
exceptional interest by its manner of feeding. Let us begin by
observing that, deprived of all, even the most rudimentary walking
apparatus, the animal is absolutely incapable of shifting its
position. If I disturb its rest, it curves and straightens itself
in turns by a series of contractions, it tosses about violently
where it lies, but does not manage to progress. It fidgets and
gets no farther. We shall see later the magnificent problem
raised by this inertness.

For the moment, a most unexpected fact claims all our attention.
I refer to the extreme readiness with which the Anthrax' larva
quits and returns to the Chalicodoma grub on which it is feeding.
After witnessing flesh eating larvae at hundreds and hundreds of
meals, I suddenly find myself confronted with a manner of eating
that bears no relation to anything which I have seen before. I
feel myself in a world that baffles my old experience. Let us
recall the table manners of a larva living on prey, the
Ammophila's for instance, when devouring its caterpillar. A hole
is made in the victim's side; and the head and neck of the
nursling dive deep into the wound, to root luxuriously among the
entrails. There is never a withdrawal from the gnawed belly,