WASPS, SOCIAL AND SOLITARY 



which might suggest the presence of the cache, and 

 now tugging frantically at a stone which she wanted to 

 place over the hidden treasure, but which was too deeply 

 embedded in the earth to yield to her efforts. She did 

 her work faithfully, although with such eager haste that 

 all was completed at the end of twenty minutes from 

 the time we saw her first. So well was the place hidden 

 that it was only by careful orientation that we could be 

 certain of its exact locahty. 



Her task accompHshed, away flew our little tornado 

 as though she were pursued by the avenging spirits of 

 all the spiders that she had murdered, although more 

 probably she was off in quest of another of those meek 

 and helpless victims. 



"Now," we said, "we will trace out the nest and 

 make a drawing of it. We will take the spider home and 

 note its condition from day to day, watching at the 

 same time the development of the larva." 



Enjoying this little air-castle, we began to excavate. 

 Having had experience with the nests of Ammophila 

 and Diodontus, and knowing that the task might not 

 be so easy as it looked, we went to work with all possible 

 care. It seemed, however, that some magician's trick 

 — some deception of the senses — had been played 

 upon us. We saw the spider interred ; we at once dug 



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