INSTINCT AND INTELLIGENCE 



instead of building a new one for herself, — showing a 

 better mental equipment than her sisters who were not 

 strong-minded enough to change their ways, and so built 

 new nests alongside of unoccupied old ones which were 

 in good condition. In Bembex society it is good form 

 to close the door on leaving home, but sometimes a 

 wasp will save time by leaving the entrance open. This, 

 however, is a doubtful case, as the advantage would, 

 perhaps, be more than balanced by the exposure of the 

 nest to parasites. 



Some years after our first experience with Pompilus 

 scelestus we saw a wasp of this species carrying her spider 

 home. She dropped it close to the nest, and looked 

 meditatively, first at the hole and then at the spider. It 

 was unquestionably going to be a very tight fit, but if 

 she could get it in that would be an advantage ; so after 

 a moment she seized it by the tip of the abdomen and 

 backing down tried to pull it after. Tug — tug ! No, it 

 would not go down, and scelestus pushed it out and 

 carried it to a place of safety up among some clover 

 blossoms. She then washed and brushed herself neatly, 

 and took several little walks, so that it was fully fifteen 

 minutes before she began to enlarge her nest. All that 

 time she must have carried in her little scrap of a mind 

 the idea of doing a necessary act which was outside of 



303 



