A MASON- WASP 



husk. In this final state the nest is like a great splash 

 of mud, flung against the wall by accident. 



Ill 



HER PROVISIONS 



Now that we know what the pro vision- jar is like, we 

 must find out what it contains. 



The young Pelopaeus is fed on Spiders. The food 

 does not lack variety, even in the same nest and the 

 same cell, for any Spider may form a meal, as long as 

 it is not too large for the jar. The Cross Spider, with 

 three crosses of white dots on her back, is the dish that 

 occurs oftenest. I think the reason for this is simply 

 that the Wasp does not go far from home in her hunting- 

 trips, and the Spider with the crosses is the easiest to 

 find. 



The Spider, armed with poison-fangs, is a dangerous 

 prey to tackle. When of fair size, she could only be 

 conquered by a greater amount of daring and skill than 

 the Wasp possesses. Moreover, the cells are too small 

 to hold a bulky object. The Wasp, therefore, hunts 

 game of moderate size. If she meets with a kind of 

 Spider that is apt to become plump, she always chooses 

 a young one. But, though all are small, the size of her 

 victims varies enormously, and this variation in size 



[79] 



