The Return to the Nest 



blind alley at the other end, where the larva 

 lies amid its victuals. 



Here is the home uncovered, in the bright 

 light, under the sun's rays. How will the 

 mother behave on her return? Let us con- 

 sider the question in detail, according to sci- 

 entific precepts: it Is a perplexing position for 

 the observer, as my recent experiences make 

 me suspect. Here is the problem : the mother 

 on arriving has the feeding of her larva as 

 her object In view; but to reach this larva 

 she must first find the door. The grub and 

 the entrance-door: those are the two aspects 

 of the question that appear to me to merit 

 separate consideration. I therefore take 

 away the grub, together with the provisions, 

 and the end of the passage becomes a clear 

 space. After making these preparations 

 there Is nothing to do but exercise patience. 



The Wasp arrives at last and goes 

 straight to where its door ought to be, that 

 door of which naught but the threshold re- 

 mains. Here, for more than an hour, I see 

 her digging on the surface, sweeping, making 

 the sand fly and persisting, not in scooping 

 out a new gallery, but in looking for that 

 loose door which ought easily to give way 

 343 



