WASPS, SOCIAL AND SOLITARY 



been stacked and we could follow her without difficulty. 

 So far she had been going due south ; but now she made 

 a turn and plunged into the long, tangled grass which 

 grew around and among some large, overgrown rasp- 

 berry bushes. To keep track of her here seemed a hope- 

 less task, but we resolved to do our best, and followed 

 anxiously after. The wasp worked her way along about 

 two inches above the ground and very much below the 

 top of the grass, clinging to the blades with her feet and 

 making surprisingly good progress. When half way 

 through the raspberry bushes she carried the caterpillar 

 up on to a branch, deposited it there, and after circling 

 about to take her bearings, flew away, doubtless to visit 

 her nest and to make sure that she was going in the right 

 direction. 



We, ourselves, were very glad of the chance to rest our 

 tired eyes and nerves from the strain of following her. 

 The journey, so far, had occupied nearly an hour, at 

 almost every instant of which it had been exceedingly 

 difficult to keep her in view. But for our united efforts 

 we should certainly have failed. 



While standing guard over the caterpillar we noticed 

 that it moved its head from side to side, showing that the 

 first segment could not have been severely stung, as is 

 usually the case in the work of urnaria. 



44 



