ix] WOLF-SPIDERS 69 



inserted into the burrow the spider will seize it and 

 hold it so firmly that it may be drawn forth. Fabre 

 found this method exciting, but uncertain in its 

 results. Another plan which had been advocated 

 was to approach warily and cut off the retreat of 

 a spider by plunging the blade of a knife into the 

 soil below it and so cutting off its retreat, but this 

 required very rapid action, and was, moreover, apt 

 to be prevented by the presence of stones in the soil. 

 He devised a new scheme. He provided himself with 

 a number of " bumble " bees in narrow glass tubes 

 about the width of the spider burrows. Repairing to 

 a tarantula colony he would present the open end of 

 the tube to the mouth of a burrow. The liberated 

 bee, seeing a hole in the ground exactly suitable for 

 its own purposes, would enter it with very little 

 hesitation. There would be a loud buzz and then 

 instant silence. Inserting a pair of forceps into the 

 hole, Fabre would then withdraw the bee with the 

 spider clinging tenaciously to it. In all cases the 

 death of the bee was instantaneous, though the 

 closest examination of its dead body revealed no 

 wound. 



Xow Fabre was fresh from his wonderful studies of 

 the habits of the solitary wasps, which provide their 

 young with insects stung in such a way as to cause 

 paralysis but not death. In their case the problem 

 was to secure food for their larvae which should 



