﻿374 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  quietly 
  from 
  cup 
  to 
  cup. 
  Suddenly 
  she 
  made 
  a 
  dart 
  for 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  umbel 
  — 
  the 
  next 
  instant 
  I 
  saw 
  her 
  standing 
  upright, 
  holding 
  

   a 
  small 
  bee 
  face 
  to 
  face 
  and 
  stinging 
  it 
  upwards 
  under 
  its 
  chin. 
  

   One 
  dagger 
  stroke 
  and 
  the 
  fight 
  was 
  over. 
  Philanthus 
  grasped 
  her 
  

   victim 
  and 
  flew 
  off. 
  The 
  whole 
  operation 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  more 
  than 
  

   10 
  seconds. 
  

  

  This 
  capture 
  which 
  I 
  observed 
  was 
  prettily 
  and 
  neatly 
  done, 
  but 
  

   oftentimes 
  the 
  wasp 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  blundering 
  bungler. 
  She 
  will 
  hover 
  

   over 
  a 
  flower 
  and 
  pounce 
  on 
  spider, 
  fly, 
  bug, 
  or 
  wasp 
  that 
  looks 
  

   small 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  easy 
  victim. 
  I 
  have 
  even 
  seen 
  her 
  deceived 
  

   by 
  the 
  dark 
  central 
  florets 
  in 
  the 
  white 
  disk 
  of 
  Queen 
  Ann's 
  Lace, 
  

   at 
  which 
  she 
  would 
  dart 
  with 
  amusing 
  ferocity. 
  Actual 
  proximity 
  

   shows 
  her 
  the 
  mistake, 
  and 
  she 
  makes 
  off 
  to 
  fall 
  into 
  other 
  errors 
  

   of 
  insect 
  myopia. 
  

  

  THE 
  RETURN 
  FROM 
  THE 
  CHASE. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  post 
  oneself 
  at 
  the 
  galleries 
  of 
  Philanthus 
  to 
  

   watch 
  the 
  wasps 
  return 
  from 
  the 
  chase 
  laden 
  with 
  their 
  prey 
  (pi. 
  

   3, 
  fig. 
  11). 
  Their 
  flight 
  is 
  easy 
  and 
  unimpeded 
  by 
  the 
  burden. 
  If 
  

   one 
  looks 
  closely 
  one 
  can 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  wasp 
  carries 
  the 
  limp 
  carcass 
  

   of 
  the 
  bee 
  tightly 
  clasped 
  to 
  her 
  breast 
  with 
  her 
  middle 
  pair 
  of 
  

   legs. 
  Sometimes 
  she 
  also 
  grabs 
  the 
  bee's 
  antennae 
  in 
  her 
  mandibles, 
  

   so 
  that 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  emergency, 
  when 
  all 
  six 
  legs 
  would 
  be 
  needed, 
  the 
  

   bee 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  dropped. 
  It 
  happens 
  sometimes 
  in 
  walking 
  that 
  

   the 
  legs 
  release 
  their 
  grasp, 
  but 
  the 
  bee 
  is 
  dragged 
  along 
  by 
  the 
  

   grip 
  which 
  the 
  wasp 
  has 
  of 
  its 
  antennae. 
  In 
  picking 
  up 
  the 
  bee 
  

   the 
  wasp 
  first 
  gets 
  a 
  mandibular 
  hold 
  of 
  its 
  antennae 
  and 
  then 
  swings 
  

   it 
  into 
  position 
  under 
  her 
  body. 
  The 
  wasp 
  that 
  is 
  bringing 
  home 
  

   prey 
  descends 
  to 
  her 
  nest 
  in 
  a 
  rapid, 
  swinging, 
  zigzag 
  flight. 
  

   Usually 
  little 
  difficulty 
  is 
  experienced 
  in 
  finding 
  the 
  right 
  burrow. 
  

   The 
  wasp 
  alights, 
  quickly 
  removes 
  the 
  barrier 
  of 
  sand 
  at 
  the 
  en- 
  

   trance, 
  and 
  disappears 
  down 
  the 
  hole. 
  Generally 
  Philanthus 
  effects 
  

   a 
  neat 
  and 
  rapid 
  entrance 
  without 
  releasing 
  her 
  burden, 
  though 
  at 
  

   the 
  moment 
  when 
  the 
  wasp 
  tumbles 
  down 
  the 
  shaft 
  she 
  shifts 
  the 
  

   bee 
  a 
  bit 
  to 
  the 
  rear 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  abdomen 
  projects 
  slightly 
  beyond 
  

   her 
  body. 
  

  

  AN 
  AUTOPSY 
  OVER 
  THE 
  VICTIMS. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  play 
  the 
  coroner 
  and 
  hold 
  an 
  autopsy 
  over 
  the 
  victims, 
  it 
  

   becomes 
  evident 
  that 
  one 
  and 
  all 
  were 
  fatally 
  stabbed 
  in 
  the 
  brain. 
  

   The 
  bees 
  that 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  wasp 
  in 
  transport 
  all 
  exhibit 
  

   strong 
  reflex 
  movements. 
  The 
  tarsi 
  tremble, 
  the 
  legs 
  are 
  flexed, 
  the 
  

   abdomen 
  twitches 
  spasmodically, 
  but 
  the 
  antennae 
  and 
  mouth 
  parts 
  

   are 
  almost 
  totally 
  inactive. 
  These 
  latter 
  organs 
  are 
  directly 
  in- 
  

  

  