WASPS, SOCIAL AND SOLITARY 



In a number of cases, during the first summer, after 

 several spiders had been stored, we gently drew them 

 out with a bent wire. In one nest in which there were 

 five spiders, we found, two hours after they had been 

 stored, that three were alive and two were dead. In an- 

 other, which the wasp had just begun to seal up, were 

 ten spiders. Three of these were injured in being drawn 

 out. Of the remainder four were ahve and three dead. 

 On the anterior part of the dorsum of one of the living 

 spiders was the egg. It had probably been fertilized as 

 the female carried the male into the nest on her back. 



When we discovered rubrocinctum in the straw-stack, 

 we made many observations as to the position of the 

 egg and the number and condition of the spiders. Wc 

 found that the egg was always placed either on the side 

 or the back of the anterior part of the abdomen. The 

 number of spiders stored was, as we have already stated, 

 from seven to fourteen. A fact that interested us greatly 

 was the remarkable accuracy shown by the wasp in 

 never selecting too large a spider for the calibre of the 

 straw. Oftentimes it was an extremely close fit, but it 

 could always be squeezed down. When they nested in 

 posts they used at times much larger prey. Unfortu- 

 nately we never saw this species capture its prey, nor 

 could we prevail upon it to sting in captivity, but the 



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