Pomona College, Claremont, California 65 
with the first development of the instinct of feeding the larve in the nest, which Miss 
Enteman says begins without imitation, is not clear. 
At 2 p.m. (two hours later) the colony was placed out of doors, still on the book. 
Two of the wasps soon left the latter, and settled near it, keeping very quiet for half 
an hour. The third kept climbing over and around the nest. At 2:30 one of the two 
wasps returned to the nest. 
At 3 p. m. two of the specimens were on the ground near the porch. They made 
enly short flights, resembling jumps with the wings assisting, this being true even when 
they were disturbed. The third wasp was beside the colony, chewing on the decapi- 
tated pupa, probably getting some nourishment from it in the process. 
During the afternoon the nest was disturbed, and at é p. m. all three specimens 
had gone from the porch. One was found wandering aimlessly on a canna leaf near 
by. It did not seem to be able to fly well. The other two had disappeared entirely. 
The nest was saved and several days later a fourth wasp appeared. It was a 
very lively specimen, and spent the first few hours actively exploring the nest. It 
seemed of a very nervous disposition, being more easily disturbed than any of the 
others had been. Every time the nest was picked up, it would start for the fingers or 
forceps holding it. At one time it was observed with its whole body in a cell, head 
downward, evidently examining the interior. After staying close to the nest for a day, 
it began to fly around the floor of the room, paying no more attention to its former 
home. Even when it was placed on or near it, it would almost immediately crawl or 
fly away. Its flying was erratic, and seemed to lack power, but it got along much 
better than any of the other three had done. 
From the above observations it would appear that the movements of the wasp 
recorded at one minute intervals after emergence from its cell were probably reactions 
due to the discomfort of the drying and hardening of the tissues. At first the wasps 
apparently had very little, if any, home instinct. The only things to indicate that 
they had any were the facts that the first specimen so readily left the cork on which it 
was sitting and went back to its nest when the latter was held near it, and the fourth 
wasp stayed on or near the nest for the first twelve hours. But all the specimens 
observed left the nest the first night and showed no intention or disposition to return. 
The presence of a second wasp seemed to bring the home instinct into existence more 
forcibly, as the first and second wasps stayed with the nest for six or seven hours 
when they were returned to it together, while the fourth one repeatedly left the empty 
nest almost at once when it was returned to it. But this instinct was seemingly not very 
strong, as they soon wandered away when placed out of doors. They seemed to have 
no idea as to how to carry on the work of the colony, but wandered aimlessly over it. 
Perhaps this was due to the fact that they were too young, as Miss Enteman says the 
development of the nursing instinct is usually manifested “any time after the first half 
day of imaginal life,” but was observed in some neuters as young as four hours, while 
in others it was delayed for two weeks. 
While the above observations are admittedly too few from which to draw definite 
conclusions, they seem to warrant the following assumptions, the first three of which 
are quoted from Miss Enteman, and hence are simply corroborative of her work: 
1. ‘‘All wasps possess the instinct of fear. This is especially strong the first few days 
after emergence, but is readily overcome by the frequent appearance of the 
awe-inspiring object. 
