268 WASPS AND THEIR WAYS 



"How clear and accurate must be the 

 observing powers of these wonderful little 

 creatures ! Every patch of ground must, 

 for them, have its own character ; a pebble 

 here, a larger stone there, a trifling tuft of 

 grass — these must be their landmarks. 

 And the wonder of it is that their interest 

 in each nest is so temporary. A burrow 

 is dug, provisioned, and closed up, all in 

 two or three days, and then another is 

 made in a new place with everything to 

 learn over again." 



That the wasp actually observes and 

 remembers the surroundings of her nest, 

 those just quoted proved to their cost 

 again and again by disturbing the grass or 

 weeds near the nest in order to see more 

 easily, when the wasp kept them wait- 

 ing endless minutes while she searched 

 blindly about, evidently puzzled by the 

 changes. 



The wasps also noticed at once strange 

 objects, as pebbles or seed-pods put near 



