Vol. XXVIII. 



1911 



] Harov, The S/m£;inf; of G. coarctata by D. hicolor. 



though the locaHty was appro.ximateiy shown. When on one 

 oi these excursions, then about 12 inches away, she disappeared 

 among the grass, I found her in a httle bare patch busily re- 

 moving, by means of her head and fore legs, some loose soil 

 and small drhris, until she exposed the entrance to a burrow, 

 which had been cleverly concealed. 



A few experiments were then made to test her sense of locality 

 and instinct or intelligence. First, the cricket was quickly 

 lifted and placed six inches away from the route. The wasp, on 

 returning to the spot, was much agitated, and made a search 

 that seemed to be quite lacking in method. Dr. and Mrs. 

 Peckham (whose work I had not then read) have shown, 

 notwithstanding Fabre's view^that the actions of wasps might 

 almost be foretold under given circumstances, so certain are 

 most of them to obey certain instincts — that many of the species 

 are very variable in their habits The diagrams of locality 

 study given by the Peckhams show a rough geometrical 

 regularity in the case of careful study, but an erratic line of 

 inspection when only a hasty survey was desired or possible. 

 In the case under notice Diamma hicolor went over the same 

 ground many times, leaving new ground quite unexplored. 

 The first survey covered only a quadrant of a 9 -inch radius 

 circle of which the cricket was near the centre. 



Lying on damp grass, and with much else to do that day, 



1 found that my patience would not last long enough, in view 

 of the wasp's want of originality, so I restored the cricket to 

 its old position, where eventually she found him. During her 

 search for the lost quarry she behaved in a peculiar manner, 

 frequently stopping, curving the abdomen downwards, and 

 rapidly stroking it with her hind legs. On recovering the 

 cricket (which was showing signs of returning animation^ she 

 dragged it only a little wav, and then, mounting upon it (head 

 to tail), seized a portion of an abdominal segment in a power- 

 ful grip of the jaws, and, curving her abdomen downwards, 

 moved the end about until a suitable spot was found at the 

 junction of the thoracic segments, inserted her sting and held 

 !t there for about three seconds. The sting was not exposed 

 at time of insertion, the extremity of the abdomen touching 

 the cricket all the time ; but, on withdrawal, the abdomen was 

 raised and the sting drawn after it, until its length of about 



2 mm. was visible. Grvllotalpa at once relapsed into his 

 former limp condition, and the victor descended and resumed 

 transport work. 



Again I took advantage of a temporary absence of Diamma, 

 and removed her victim, this time to a new locality, six inches 

 or so away, and she re-explored the quadrant traversed in the 

 previous search in the same unmethodical way as before. In 



