THE SPIDER-HUNTERS 



a scrap of dead leaf, and so on, until ten or twelve things 

 had been collected. This artistic finishing up of her 

 duties recalled Ammophila ; but among our subsequent 

 examples of fuscipennis we never saw one do her work 

 with such nicety. They were usually contented to fill 

 in the nest more or less compactly, sometimes doing 

 much of the work from the outside, to brush off the 

 surface without any rubbing or pounding, and then to 

 bring two or three little pebbles or lumps of earth 

 to place over the spot. 



So far as we were concerned this was one of the most 

 fearless of the wasps, not even interrupting her work 

 when we once placed a glass over her as she was filhng 

 her nest; but the approach of an ant would throw her 

 into a perfect panic, and seizing her spider she would 

 make off with every sign of terror. It is difficult to under- 

 stand why wasps of this species, as well as of biguttatus, 

 never offer combat to the ants that rob them right and 

 left, but invariably seek safety in retreat. Their attitude 

 toward other robbers is quite different. We once saw a 

 fuscipennis that was dragging a Lycosid attacked by a 

 bigger wasp of the same species. Number One left her 

 spider on the ground and chased Number Two to a dis- 

 tance; but no sooner had she returned and taken it up 

 than Number Two, bold and unashamed, was at her 



219 



