CH. VI. J THE SOLITARY WASP. 115 



which feed their young with spiders, cock-roaches, 

 flies, and other perfect insects. An observer, who 

 had carefully studied their habits, says, that their 

 mode of working - is much alike, and it is very di- 

 verting to see them at it: their art and contrivance 

 are wonderful, and appears as if they were given 

 them to cheer them at their labour. They make a 

 very particular musical noise, the sound of which 

 may be heard at ten yards' distance. Their manner 

 of working is, to moisten clay and temper it up into 

 a little lump of the size of swan-shot. This they 

 carry to build with. They begin first at the upper 

 end of the cell and work downwards till it is long 

 enough to contain the nymph or chrysalis : after 

 they have spread out their little lump in a proper 

 manner to form their little fabric, they set up their 

 musical notes, and return to temper and work up 

 more clay for the next course. Thus they con- 

 tinue alternately singing and working until a cell is 

 finished, which is made delicately smooth within- 

 side : then, at the farther end of each cell they lay 

 an egg : after this, by a surprising instinct, they go 

 and catch spiders and cram the cell full of them ; 

 but it is farther wonderful to observe, that they only 

 in some manner disable the spiders, but do not kill 

 them, which is tc answer this purpose, that they are 

 preserved alive till the egg is hatched. The spider 

 is the food of the embryo ; having stored up a suffi- 

 ciency of this provender, the insect closes the cell 

 and proceeds to build the next in the same manner. 

 The maggot, having eaten up all its provisions be- 

 fore October, prepares for its change. It lies all 

 the winter in its chrysalis state, and in the spring 

 eats its way out of its clay dwelling. 



Cassigni furnished Reaumur with an interesting 

 account of the mode in which another of these 

 wasps attacks and kills the cock-roach, so injurious 

 to the housewives of tropical countries. The wasp 

 is seen walking or flying about in various directions, 



