138 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



Fabre bases bis very strongest arguments for tbe exactness of 

 tbe metbod by wbicb wasps sting tbeir victims, upon tbe actions 

 of one of tbe Pompilidae,^ but certainly P. qumquenotatus can 

 make no claim to nice workmansbip, for if sbe occasionally 

 stings in sucb a way tbat life is preserved for some time it seems 

 to be a matter of cbance ratber tban of skill. In one respect, 

 bowever, looking at tbe matter from Fabre's point of view, sbe 

 is very successful. Her victim is left so motionless as t© be a per- 

 fectly safe repository for tbe eg^. Even in tbe case of tbe 

 spider tbat lived forty days tbe power of motion did not return, 

 to any extent, during tbe first ten or twelve days, and before tbis 

 time in tbe natural course of events, tbere would bave been notb- 

 ing left to move. 



We look back witb mucb pleasure upon our acquaintance 

 witb tbis gay, excitable little wasp. Sbe was so full of breezy 

 energy tbat it was always deligbtful to meet ber, and sbe 

 ebowed so wide a variation in individual cbaracter tbat we sel- 

 dom watcbed ber witbout learning sometbing new. 



Pompiliis higuttatus Fabr. 



Tbis wasp varies from one-quarter of an incb in lengtb to 

 tbree times tbat size, and is marked witb one or two interrupted 

 wbite bands on tbe abdomen. It is extremely common upon tbe 

 island in our lake, tbe males especially appearing in swarms 

 about tbe first of August, wben tbey may be seen attempting to 

 mate not only \\dtb females of tbeir own kind but also witb 

 tbose of quinquenotatus, wliicb is sometimes described as a vari- 

 ety of tbe same species. Tbeir babits are certainly mucb alike 

 altbougb quinquenotatus is distinctly tbe more excitable of tbe 

 two, and preys solely upon Epeira stiix, wbile higuttatus is 

 occasionally seen witb Epeira lahyrinthea, a mucb less common 

 spider. One peculiarity of higuttatus is ber passion for wash- 

 ing berseK. After sbe bas caugbt ber spider and bestowed it 

 safely, sbe flies to an adjoining plant and falls to brusbing off ber 

 wdngs and legs, and wasbing ber face again and again, as tbougb 

 *Souvenirs Entomologiques, Quatrieme Serie, p. 267. 



