If the first ganglion were wounded, the others would remain uninjured; and
the powerful body, actuated by these last, would lose none of its powers of
contraction. Woe then to the egg, to the young grub held fast in its
embrace! And how insurmountable would be the difficulties if the Scolia,
working in the profound darkness amid the crumbling soil and confronted by
a terrible pair of mandibles, had to stab each segment in turn with her
sting, with the certainty of method displayed by the Ammophila! The
delicate operation is possible in the open air, where nothing stands in the
way, in broad daylight, where the sight guides the scalpel, and with a
patient which can always be released if it becomes dangerous. But in the
dark, underground, amidst the ruins of a ceiling which crumbles in
consequence of the conflict and at close quarters with an opponent greatly
her superior in strength, how is the Scolia to guide her sting with the
accuracy that is essential if the stabs are to be repeated?

So profound a paralysis; the difficulty of vivisection underground; the
desperate coiling of the victim: all these things tell me that the Cetonia-
grub, as regards its nervous system, must possess a structure peculiar to
itself. The whole of the ganglia must be concentrated in a limited area in
the first segments, almost under the neck. I see this as clearly as though
it had been revealed to me by a post-mortem dissection.

Never was anatomical forecast more fully confirmed by direct examination.
After forty-eight hours in benzine, which dissolves the fat and renders the
nervous system more plainly visible, the Cetonia-grub is subjected to
dissection. Those of my readers who are familiar with these investigations
will understand my delight. What a clever school is the Scolia's! It is
just as I thought! Admirable! The thoracic and abdominal ganglia are
gathered into a single nervous mass, situated within the quadrilateral
bounded by the four hinder legs, which legs are very near the head. It is a