THE MUD-DAUBERS. 197 



experunents made on a miid-daiiber mainy years ago by Mr. P. H. 

 Gosse, from wlLoan we quote tJie following:* 



"June 30. I watched with much interest the proceedings of a Dau- 

 ber in building her mud-cells; it is a pretty species (Pelopaeus flavipes). 

 She has chosen the ceiling of a cupboard in my sitting room, where, 

 previously to my observing her, she had made one cell and the half of 

 another parallel to it; the former was closed, the latter had got its 

 contents of spiders, and only wanted closing. Such was the status quo. 

 ********** 



She then flew off and returned with a similar load, which she ap- 

 plied upon the last to make it thicker. When she was gone the third 

 time, in order to observe her behavior, I thrust the head of a pin 

 through the newly laid mortar, opening a hole into the cell. On her 

 return, she at once perceived the hole, and deposited her lump upon* 

 it, spreading it about as before. I plaj'ed her the same trick several 

 times, at all of which her proceedings were the same, save that at 

 length she seemed to become very angry and endeavored to catch the 

 house flies that were flying and crawling near. I have no doubt that 

 she suspected them of having a hand in it. At all events, rhe jumped 

 at them very snappishly Avhenever they came near, and sometimes 

 even with the load in her mouth, but I did not see that she caught 

 one. Once, too, a large Ichneumon Avas lurking about, at whom she 

 fiercely flew, and I think they had a short struggle. At times she 

 would linger at a little distance, after depositing her load, apparently 

 hoping to catch the insidious house-breaker, 'in the manner' as law- 

 yers say. 



"At length I broke off a large piece from the side and bottom of the 

 old part, exposing the spiders to view; this, however, she speedily 

 built up as before, at two or three loads, adding to the standing part 

 all around the hole, and not at one side only. After this I did not put 

 her industry to the task any more, but suffered her to finish her work, 

 w^hich she did by adding another layer or two to the end. I, however, 

 made a hole in the first cell, which was quite hard and dry, to see if 

 she would observe it, which she did at Once, and clapped her load of 

 mortar o*^ it. I noticed that while working-, though the wings w^ere 

 closed incumbently, she kept up a shrill buzz, like that of a bee when 

 held in the fingers; her antennae, which were usually "irried nearly 

 straight, were during the plastering furled up and contiT^nnlly vibra+- 

 ing and moving on the surface of the work, evidently trying it by 



*Letters from Alabama on Natural History, London, 1859, pp. 239- 

 241. 



