138 NOTES BY THE WAY. 



made. These were dug by the larger hornets or fe* 

 males. There was but one inhabitant in each hole, 

 and the holes were two to three feet apart. One that 

 we examined had nine chambers or galleries at the end 

 of it, in each of which were two locusts, or eighteen 

 in all. The locusts of the locality had suffered great 

 slaughter. Some of them in the hole or den had been 

 eaten to a mere shell by the larvae of the hornet. 

 Under the wing of each insect an egg is attached; 

 the egg soon hatches, and the grub at once proceeds 

 to devour the food its thoughtful parent has provided. 

 As it grows it weaves itself a sort of shell or cocoon, 

 into which, after a time, it undergoes its metamor- 

 phosis, and comes out, I think, a perfect insect to- 

 ward the end of summer. 



I understood now the meaning of that sudden cry 

 of alarm I had so often heard proceed from the locust 

 or cicada, followed by some object falling and rust- 

 ling amid the leaves ; the poor insect was doubtless 

 in the clutches of this arch enemy. A number of 

 locusts usually passed the night on the under side of 

 a large limb of a mulberry tree near by ; early one 

 morning a hornet was seen to pounce suddenly upon 

 one and drag it over on the top of the limb ; a strug- 

 gle ensued, but the locust was soon quieted and car- 

 ried off. It is said that the hornet does not sting the 

 insect, for that would kill it, and it would not keep 

 fresh for its young, but stupefies it, or chloroforms 

 t, or does something of the sort, so that life remain! 

 for some days. 



