THE BURROWERS 



and backed down again; but the third time she first 

 touched it, then seized it and took it below. From an- 

 other wasp that was just entering we took the ant she had 

 dropped and moved it half an inch away. When she 

 had turned and come up for it, she seemed surprised, 

 came out and looked about, found it and dropped it in 

 the doorway, going in herself to turn around as before. 

 We seized this chance to move it again, and again she 

 came out, found it, took it back, and dropped it. This 

 was repeated five times, but when she took it in for the 

 sixth time, after dropping it, she whirled around and 

 picked it up so quickly that our malice was foiled. 



We were puzzled by the actions of a wasp that ap- 

 proached her nest again and again, but always circled 

 away without entering, until looking closely we saw that 

 she was pursued by two tiny flies. When she alighted 

 and walked about awhile with her ant tucked under 

 the third leg on one side, the flies alighted also and 

 walked about behind her. In the end she evaded them 

 by a sudden drop into her hole. 



A wasp now came circling along with an ant in her 

 grasp, and settled down between two small weeds that 

 grew about four inches apart. She stood quiet a mo- 

 ment and then began to dig, but had evidently struck 

 the wrong spot, for after a moment she moved and tried 



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