28 The Field Naturalist's Quarterly Feb. 



sand or other light soil, with spiders, and I am strongly 

 inclined to believe that they hunt their prey not only by 

 sight but also by scent, and that this is what they are chiefly 

 engaged in doing as they scurry about upon the surface. A 

 few years ago I devoted many hours during a summer 

 holiday spent on the Norfolk coast to watching the antics 

 of a small black Pompilid (Pompilus plumbeus) that abounds 

 on the sand-dunes that for many miles serve as a protecting 

 sea-wall to the Broads district. It was a matter of some 

 difficulty to track any one of the numerous specimens to 

 her burrow, but at length after many futile attempts I was 

 successful, and established myself close to the entry to await 

 developments. The little insect remained but a few seconds 

 within the burrow, and then rushed out in her usual excited 

 fashion and was absent a good while. At last she returned 

 on a brief visit of inspection and sallied forth again ; this 

 time I followed, and a couple of yards or so away found her 

 engaged in pulling along a luckless spider whom she had 

 rendered helpless by her paralysing sting. Running back- 

 wards and holding the spider in her jaws she made rapid 

 progress (if the word is permissible of retrograde move- 

 ment !) towards her burrow. Several times, however, did 

 she lay down her burden and pay a hurried visit to the 

 mouth of the burrow ; the reason for this behaviour I will 

 mention presently. On one occasion she left the spider on 

 a steeply sloping piece of loose sand, and ere she returned 

 the helpless victim had rolled down several inches. Straight 

 to the spot where she had left it did the Pompilid return, 

 showing a clear and quick memory for locality ; and though 

 facial expression of emotion is impossible in a creature 

 possessed of a hard exo-skeleton, yet that insect exhibited 

 every outward manifestation of surprise if not of disappoint- 

 ment. She stopped short on reaching the spot, and for an 

 instant remained motionless as though pondering ; then she 

 raised her head, stood high on all six legs, waved her 

 antennae tentatively in all directions, slowly turned round, 

 and then, like some well-trained hound, made a series of 

 ever widening circular casts round about the spot where 

 her prize had been left, and soon was rewarded by finding 

 her booty, which after a few more stages was safely at the 



