THE MINERS 305 



tion, as whoever attempts to pick it up 

 will quickly discover. The males are 

 winged and are sometimes seen about 

 flowers, but the females have given up the 

 vanity of wings and remain on the earth, 

 where they can run very fast and where 

 they dig burrows and store up insects for 

 their progeny. There are a great many 

 species of the velvet ant, and some of them 

 are found in the nests of bumble-bees and 

 of other wasps. The Texans call the vel- 

 vet ant the Cow-killer ant, and believe that 

 its sting is dangerous to cattle. 



Most of the solitary wasps are remark- 

 able for their unflagging industry. Each 

 excavation in brick or wood or earth may 

 take several days to complete; it must 

 then be provisioned and sealed, and no 

 sooner is this done than the faithful little 

 mother begins another. Half a dozen or 

 more of these cradle-cells, with provisions 

 and infant wasp occupants, testify to her 

 industry. 



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