90 



Marvels of Insect Life. 





poisonous weapons out of action. If it fails to draw the spider the wasp passes on 

 and seeks another hole. Belt tells us that in Mexico a wasp ^ will make a dash at 

 a spider that is in the centre of its web. This mode of attack so surprises the spider 

 that it drops to the ground. The wasp is there almost as quickly as the spider, 

 which it stings before it has had time to recover from its astonishment. After 

 such an encounter Belt saw the spider — which was too heavy to be lifted from the 

 ground in liight — dragged up a tree by the wasp until it had reached such an elevation 

 as enabled it to fly home with its burden on a descending plane. Even the huge 

 bird-spiders - fall victims to spider-wasps of another genus.^ Buckley tells how 

 the wasp Pepsis circles around the spider, who stands in fighting attitude, but can 

 only do his best to dodge the attack of his winged foe. Seizing her chance the wasp 

 darts upon the spider and inflicts a sting. Some species of Pepsis are two inches long, 

 and therefore more equally opposed to such great spiders than Pompilus would be. 



Wasps of the allied genus Salius have 

 the same taste for spiders. A common 

 species'* in India has been observed by 

 T. V. R. Aiyar. It is a yellow wasp, whose 

 _^^ wings share the same colour with the 



i| * 1^": :% ^ ^^&/ body, except their tips, which are 



purplish-black. It hunts in open meadows 

 where there are innumerable holes in the 

 ground, many of them inhabited by 

 spiders, and the wasp with great patience 

 runs from hole to hole seeking victims. 

 At the Research Institute, Pusa, one was 

 observed to search every hole in half an 

 acre of meadow for two hours and a half, 

 without success ; then it flew away to a 

 distant tree, apparently to rest and muse 

 on the hardness of the times. When, 

 however, Salius has found a spider, it 

 observes a definite order of procedure. 

 Finding a hole inhabited by a spider, it 

 quickly withdraws and rests ; then it cleans up its antennae 

 by brushing and stroking them with its legs. After this 

 visiting it enters the hole again and stirs up the occupant, 

 succeeded by the rapid withdrawal of the wasp, followed 

 spider. The wasp runs a short distance from the hole and turns round 

 with her face to the foe. The spider — usuallv a big ground-spider — comes to 

 the mouth of the hole and assumes as offensive a defensive attitude as it is capable 

 of — with head erect and jaws extended. The wasp tries tactics, evidently respecting 

 the poisonous fangs of the spider, and tries to attack it from the rear ; but the 

 spider, without budging from the mouth of the hole, turns repeatedly to face the wasp. 

 This sort of thing goes on for five minutes or so, until the wasp seizes a favourable 

 opportunity and alights on the spider's back. At once curving her hind-body 



^ Pompilus polistoides. 2-\iyg3ie 3 pepgjg ■• Salius flavus. 



The Ringed Spider-Wasp. 



Like the other spider-wasps, this species is a miner, digging 

 shafts in the earth and storing them with spiders which ha\-f 

 been stung to paralyze them. It is here shown one and a 

 half times the actual size. 



and hind-body 

 preparation for 



This action is 

 closely bv the 



