82 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



aggregation, and skows bow little difficulty would be encountered 

 by tbe sting of tbe wasp in entering it. It is evident tbat a 

 tbrust given in almost any part of tbe ventral face of tbe cepbalo- 

 tborax, or even on eitber side of tbe anterior balf of its edges, 

 would reacb tbe nervous center. Witb tbese facts before us 

 let us turn to tbe notes made upon tbe condition of tbe spiders 

 tbat bad been stung and stored up in tbe nests of tbe straw- 

 stack. By tbe "first cell" we mean tbe last one stored, wbicb 

 wa$ naturally tbe first one opened. 



July 11. Opened a nest of i-ubrocinctum. The first cell contained 

 fourteen live spiders with a newly laid egg. Some of the spiders were 

 very lively, moving spontaneously. Second cell, ten spiders, one dead, 

 others alive, and an egg. Third cell, eight spiders, three dead and five 

 alive, and the egg. 



July 12. In each of the first and second cells one spider has died 

 since yesterday, while in the third there is no change in their condi- 

 tion. The egg in the third cell hatched at nine in the morning, and 

 the one in the second cell at three in the afternoon. 



July 13. In the first cell all the spiders are dead but one, and in the 

 second, all but four, while in the third none are alive. 



July 15. All the spiders in the second cell are dead. 



July 16. The one spider in the first cell has outlived all the others, 

 but that, too, died today. 



Tbe record of anotber set of nests is as follows: On July 

 eigbtb we took a straw witb a wasp as sbe went in mtb ber spi- 

 der. Tbe cell was not sealed up. It contained fourteen speci- 

 mens of tbree species of Epeirids, and tbe egg was, apparently, 

 just laid. Tbe spiders were pusbed in very tigbtly and tbe legs 

 and abdomens were, in many cases, bent to one side. All were 

 limp, but alive. By July tentb, four were dead; on July 

 eleventb tbe egg batcbed. By July tbirteentb all of tbe spiders 

 were dead. 



It is unnecessary to give tbe bistoiy of otber nests in detail, 

 since tbese facts make it clear tbat tbere is a great variation in 

 tbe degree of severity witb wbicb tbe spiders are stung, so tbat 

 wbile witb some tbe paralysis is complete, witb otbers it is only 

 partial. Some were killed outrigbt, others lived two or tbree 



