To rob the worker of its booty is nothing; such things are seen every day; but to slaughter it in order to empty its stomach--no, gluttony cannot be the only motive.

And as the bees placed in the cells are squeezed dry no less than the others, the idea occurs to me that as a beefsteak garnished with _confitures_ is not to every one's taste, so the bee sweetened with honey may well be distasteful or even harmful to the larvae of the Philanthus.

What would the grub do if, replete with blood and flesh, it were to find under its mandibles the honey-bag of the bee ?--if, gnawing at random, it were to open the bees stomach and so drench its game with syrup?
Would it approve of the mixture?
Would the little ogre pass without repugnance from the gamey flavour of a corpse to the scent of flowers?
To affirm or deny is useless.

We must see.

Let us see.
I take the young larvae of the Philanthus, already well matured, but instead of serving them with the provisions buried in their cells I offer them game of my own catching--bees that have filled themselves with nectar among the rosemary bushes.