Marvels of Insect Life, 



catches her spider before digging a hole to put it in. It is probable that this plan 

 may frequently lead to the nest being ready first, owing to the secured prey being 

 carried off by another wasp whilst mining operations are in progress. Fabre 

 gives a detailed account of some experiments he made in order to test her sense 



of locality, and to ascertain how she would 

 behave under certain conditions. A Pompilus 

 that he had watched catch and sting a spider 

 to render it helpless, left her prey on a tuft of 

 vegetation whilst she proceeded to make a burrow 

 to receive it. She does not wait until the burrow 

 is finished before looking for the victim, but leaves 

 off work at intervals in order to visit the spider, 

 to touch it and so assure herself that it is her 

 spider and that it is quite safe. In this case, as 

 soon as the wasp had set to work on her mining 

 operations, Fabre removed the spider to a distance 

 of about eighteen inches. When Pompilus had 

 worked for a spell she left off and flew straight to 

 the spot where she had left her treasure, and 

 exhibited grave concern at its absence. She care- 

 fully walked over the surrounding ground, as 

 though to make sure that her memory was not 

 at fault, then satisfying herself that the spider was 

 not there, she extended her survey, and at length 

 found what she sought. Her actions showed that 

 she was greatly astonished at the change of posi- 

 tion ; and she appeared to be unable to account 

 for it. It was incomprehensible that she could 

 have left the spider in that position ; but seizing 



fT"^^ one of its legs she removed it to another tuft, and 



*^ resumed her digging. Fabre again removed it. 



and when the wasp had rested from her digging 



Photo by] [H. Mam, F.E.S. 



Eggs of Emperor Moth. 



The large eggs, to the number of two or three 

 hundred, are laid around a twig of the food-plant 

 as shown. They are magnified here to the extent 

 of four and a-quarter times. 



she flew straight to the place where she had last 

 left it, and, failing to find it, quartered the imme- 

 diate surroundings as she had done before. Five 

 times the naturalist removed the spider, and every 

 time the wasp went through the same performance, 

 seeking her treasure where she had last laid it, 

 showing that her sense of locality was perfect. 

 Had she been guided by scent she would have 

 gone, probably, to one of the places where the 

 spider had lain previously, but this she never did. 

 Nor could sight have played anything more than a subordinate part in the discovery, 

 for Fabre found that, though the spider was only a couple of inches from the wasp 

 in some of her searches, she passed without seeing it. When, however, her sense of 



