WASPS, SOCIAL AND SOLITARY 



reaction from the strain of the last few minutes, and a 

 relief at the completion of her task, now rested from her 

 labors. Alighting on the ground close by, she proceeded 

 to smooth her body with her long hind legs, standing, in 

 the mean time, almost on her head, with her abdomen 

 directed upward. She then gave her face a thorough 

 washing and rubbing with her first legs, and not until 

 she had made a complete and satisfactory toilet did she 

 return to the caterpillar. 



We saw Ammophila capture her prey only three times 

 during the whole summer; but from these observations 

 and from the condition of her caterpillars taken at vari- 

 ous times from nests, her method seems to be wonder- 

 fully close to that of hirsuta, with just about the same 

 amount of variation in different individuals. 



Thus in our second example, she stung the first three 

 segments in the regular order, the third, the second, and 

 lastly (and most persistently) the first. She then went on, 

 without a pause, to sting the fourth, fifth, sixth, and 

 seventh, stopping at this point and leaving the posterior 

 segments untouched. In our first example, it will be 

 remembered, the middle segments were spared. The 

 stinging being completed, she proceeded to the process 

 known as malaxation, which consists in repeatedly 

 squeezing the neck of the caterpillar, or other victim, 



26 



