THE GREAT GOLDEN DIGGER 



tion, but simply came up and flew off. Had she made 

 up her mind, if we may be allowed to use the term, that 

 the localities were in some way unsuitable and that 

 hence she had no occasion to return to them ? Had she 



THOROUGH LOCALITY STUDY BY SPHEX 



decided, in the last instance, that she would return and 

 so must get her bearings ? We wondered how far the 

 different acts were instinctive, or were, as Huber has it, 

 an evidence of a "little dose of judgment." Bates, in 

 speaking of Monedula signata, says that he often no- 

 ticed it taking a few turns about the locality of its nest, 

 and that he was convinced that it was doing so for the 

 purpose of getting its bearings. Belt, having described 



59 



