The Hunting Wasps 



zontal part and the bend, the direction of the 

 rest of the tube seems to be regulated by the 

 difficulties presented by the ground, as is 

 proved by the twists and turns observed in the 

 more distant portion. The total length of 

 the shaft attains as much as eighteen inches. 

 At the far end of the tube are the cells, few 

 in number and each provisioned with five or 

 V/' six corpses of the Beetle order. But let us 

 leave these building-details and come to facts 

 more capable of exciting our admiration. 



The victim which the Cerceris chooses 

 whereon to feed her grubs is a large-sized 

 Weevil, Cleonus ophthalmicus. We see the 

 kidnapper arrive heavily laden, carrying her 

 victim between her legs, body to body, head 

 to head, and plump down at some distance 

 from her hole, to complete the rest of the 

 journey without the aid of her wings. The 

 Wasp is now dragging her prey in her mandi- 

 bles up a vertical, or at least a very steep sur- 

 face, productive of frequent tumbles which 

 send kidnapper and kidnapped rolling helter- 

 skelter to the bottom, but incapable of dis- 

 couraging the indefatigable mother, who, 

 covered with dirt and dust, ends by diving 

 into the burrow with her booty, which she 

 has not let go for a single moment. Whereas 

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