The Ammophilae 



sun begins to go down and when the lateness 

 of the hour compels the victualling to be 

 put off till the morrow. When the dwelling 

 had been sealed up by the Wasp, I too would 

 postpone my observations till the next day, 

 but only after first mailing a map of the 

 ground, choosing my lines and landmarks and 

 planting a few stalks as signposts to show 

 me the way to the well when it was filled. 

 If I did not come back very early in the morn- 

 ing, if I left the Wasp time to take advantage 

 of the hours of bright sunshine, I invariably 

 found the burrow finally stocked with pro- 

 visions and closed. 



This faithfulness of memory is striking. 

 The Wasp, delayed in her task, puts off the 

 rest of her work to the next day. She does 

 not spend the evening, she does not spend 

 the night in the home which she has just 

 dug: on the contrary, she leaves the premises 

 altogether and goes away, after concealing 

 the entrance with a little stone. The local- 

 ity is not familiar to her; she knows it no 

 better than any other spot, for the Ammo- 

 philae behave like the Languedocian Sphex 

 and lodge their families here or there, wher- 

 ever they happen to roam. The Wasp was 

 there by chance; the soil suited her; she dug 

 255 



