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  ANNUAL 
  REPOKT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Experiments 
  on 
  the 
  solitary 
  wasps 
  have 
  brought 
  out 
  facts 
  of 
  a 
  

   similar 
  nature 
  as 
  those 
  ascertained 
  concerning 
  the 
  homing 
  behavior 
  

   of 
  the 
  social 
  bees. 
  The 
  females 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  of 
  wasps 
  construct 
  

   earthen 
  nests 
  or 
  dig 
  burrows 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  store 
  para- 
  

   lyzed 
  spiders, 
  caterpillars, 
  grasshoppers, 
  or 
  beetles 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  

   young, 
  an 
  egg 
  being 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  nest 
  with 
  the 
  prey 
  or 
  attached 
  to 
  

   the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  The 
  Peckhams 
  have 
  recorded 
  detailed 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  on 
  the 
  method 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  burrowing 
  wasps 
  fix 
  the 
  locality 
  

   of 
  the 
  nest 
  in 
  their 
  minds 
  before 
  leaving 
  its 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  habit 
  of 
  

   some 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  is 
  to 
  excavate 
  the 
  burrow 
  first, 
  then 
  depart 
  to 
  

   search 
  for 
  the 
  prey 
  to 
  be 
  stored 
  in 
  it. 
  Such 
  species 
  always 
  make 
  a 
  

   minute 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  locality 
  by 
  taking 
  circuitous 
  and 
  zigzag 
  

   flights 
  all 
  about 
  the 
  burrow 
  entrance, 
  often 
  going 
  over 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  

   same 
  territory 
  in 
  an 
  intricate 
  course. 
  And 
  even 
  then 
  a 
  returning 
  

   wasp 
  sometimes 
  has 
  difficulty 
  in 
  going 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  the 
  exact 
  site. 
  If 
  

   a 
  leaf 
  or 
  stone 
  lying 
  near 
  the 
  burrow 
  is 
  changed 
  in 
  position, 
  the 
  wasp 
  

   may 
  fail 
  entirely 
  to 
  locate 
  her 
  nest, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  replacement 
  of 
  the 
  

   marks 
  the 
  topography 
  will 
  again 
  tally 
  with 
  her 
  memory 
  picture 
  of 
  

   it, 
  and 
  the 
  entrance 
  is 
  found. 
  

  

  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt, 
  then, 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  highly 
  organized 
  

   hymenopteran 
  insects 
  possess 
  memory 
  and 
  the 
  intelligence 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  

   discrimination 
  between 
  sensory 
  impressions 
  not 
  encountered 
  before. 
  

   This 
  of 
  course 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  low 
  degree 
  of 
  intelligence, 
  so 
  low 
  in 
  many 
  

   cases 
  that 
  it 
  amounts 
  to 
  stupidity, 
  but 
  stupidity 
  is 
  an 
  attribute 
  of 
  an 
  

   intelligent 
  being. 
  All 
  experimenters 
  find 
  that 
  wasps 
  and 
  bees 
  often 
  

   will 
  not 
  do 
  things 
  most 
  obviously 
  to 
  their 
  advantage 
  ; 
  but, 
  as 
  already 
  

   noted, 
  this 
  fact 
  indicates 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  intelligent 
  enough 
  to 
  perceive 
  

   alterations, 
  though, 
  lacking 
  reason, 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  adapt 
  their 
  be- 
  

   havior 
  to 
  the 
  change. 
  Beekeepers, 
  therefore, 
  are 
  obliged 
  to 
  make 
  

   their 
  apicultural 
  practices 
  conform 
  with 
  the 
  native 
  habits 
  and 
  the 
  

   limitations 
  of 
  intelligence 
  of 
  the 
  bees, 
  for 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  educate 
  the 
  

   insects 
  or 
  teach 
  them 
  new 
  ways. 
  It 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  proven 
  that 
  the 
  

   Hymenoptera 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  intelligent 
  of 
  insects; 
  they 
  get 
  the 
  credit 
  

   of 
  being 
  so 
  principally 
  by 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  mental 
  tests 
  on 
  other 
  species. 
  

   Abbott 
  has 
  made 
  experiments 
  on 
  dragon-fly 
  larvae, 
  which 
  show 
  that 
  

   these 
  aquatic 
  creatures 
  can 
  be 
  trained 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  food 
  offered 
  them 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  learn 
  to 
  overcome 
  their 
  fear 
  of 
  strange 
  surroundings. 
  

  

  Though 
  the 
  insect 
  psychologist 
  can 
  not 
  hope 
  to 
  find 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  

   rudiments 
  of 
  higher 
  faculties 
  in 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  any 
  insect, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  

   that 
  a 
  more 
  intensive 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  will 
  reveal 
  things 
  that 
  will 
  

   contribute 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  mental 
  advancement. 
  

  

  