Keywords: Bramble-Bees and Others, J. Henri Fabre, Science
Bramble-Bees and Others by J. Henri Fabre
"Fabre is the Homer of the insect."
Victor Hugo
"The peasant, as he trims his hedge, whose riotous tangle threatens to encroach upon the road, cuts the trailing stems of the bramble a foot or two from the ground and leaves the root-stock, which soon dries up. These bramble-stumps, sheltered and protected by the thorny brushwood, are in great demand among a host of Hymenoptera who have families to settle. The stump, when dry, offers to any one that knows how to use it a hygienic dwelling, where there is no fear of damp from the sap; its soft and abundant pith lends itself to easy work; and the top offers a weak spot which makes it possible for the insect to reach the vein of least resistance at once, without cutting away through the hard ligneous wall. To many, therefore, of the Bee and Wasp tribe, whether honey-gatherers or hunters, one of these dry stalks is a valuable discovery when its diameter matches the size of its would-be inhabitants; and it is also an interesting subject of study to the entomologist who, in the winter, pruning-shears in hand, can gather in the hedgerows a faggot rich in small industrial wonders. Visiting the bramble-bushes has long been one of my favourite pastimes during the enforced leisure of the wintertime; and it is seldom but some new discovery, some unexpected fact, makes up to me for my torn fingers."
J(ean) Henri Fabre (1823-1915), was a French amateur entomologist with with acute powers of observation and an exquisite writing style. THE LIFE OF THE FLY is particularly interesting since he has added autobiographic chapters in-between the chapters about flies. These are considered some of his best writing. Fabre worked all his life on his books and studies and received recognition only at the end of his life. His works on insects remain classics.
