LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS OF POLISTES METRICUS ^77 



when visited and The nest turned topsy turvy, she hardly moved 

 from her resting place. Although it remained cool for two 

 days, the larva' were no1 fed as far as could be seen. The 

 weather warmed somewhat on the afternoon of the third day. 

 but the wasp was not apparently conscious of it. The fourth 

 day she became very active again, and fed the young almost 

 constantly. At times she would bring little balls of food 

 which apparently were caterpillars, which she had. caughl 

 and kneaded into pulp between her mandibles. At other 

 times she would seem to feed the very young Larvae when she 

 apparently had nothing' to give them. Thai she did 

 them was evidenced by the movements of their lips after she 

 withdrew from the cell. Apparently the very young larvae 

 are at times fed with regurgitated food. Usually the bads of 

 food which she brought home were about the size of num- 

 ber eight shot. After kneading such a bit carefully, turning 

 it round and round between her jaws, she would divide it into 

 two or three parts and give it to the larger larva'. Sometimes 

 they would suck these bits for several minutes, when the 

 mother would take them again and eat them herself or 

 them to other larvae. At other times, the youngsters would 

 swallow them entirely after sucking them for some time. 



One day I caught a mosquito, and rolling it between my 

 finger and thumb, imitated as best I could, the kneading which 

 the wasp gave the food. Then placing it on a o-rass stem it 

 was given to a larva. Tin- little larva opened its mouth much 

 like a young bird waiting to he fed, took the mosquito and 

 tried for some time to eat it. A red mite was caught and given, 

 to another larva in similar manner. The mite being \t-r\ 

 small was swallowed at once, but the other larva was still 

 wrestling with the mosquito when the mother returned and 

 took it away. After kneading it for a time, she ale it her- 

 self. Other mosquitoes were caught and offered in the same 

 way, but she seized them, bit them viciously and dropped 

 them at once. She became much agitated and flitted her 

 wings in a most nervous manner. Such a bit was then fed 

 to a larva without attracting the attention of the mother un- 

 til it had tried for some time to dispose of it. Again she 

 took it and kneaded it for a time and this time fed it to 

 another larva, which swallowed it. Thus I took lessons in 

 feeding the young larva-, winch were destined to stand me 

 in good stead later in the season. 



