WASPS, SOCIAL AND SOLITARY 



pair of legs. Being unsuccessful, she dropped her burden, 

 and flew away for a few minutes. While she was gone 

 we removed a leaf that had fallen over her nest, and on 

 her return she at once descended upon the right spot, 

 and began to scratch open the entrance, the bee being 

 kicked backward with the rejected earth. When the 

 way was clear, however, she picked it up, brought it 

 toward the hole, dropped it, ran in and out, brought it 

 nearer, ran in again, and turning around in the tunnel, 

 seized the bee in her mandibles and pulled it down. This 

 performance was due to the accidental obstruction of 

 the gallery, for we afterward found that punctatus 

 ordinarily flies directly into her nest, or, when it is 

 closed, pauses on the wing to scratch an opening with 

 the first legs. The bee is pushed backward a little as 

 she goes in, but does not often project from under her 

 abdomen. 



At fifteen minutes after ten the worker from nest No. i 

 brought in a bee, and from that time the two worked 

 industriously. They showed some individuality in their 

 ways, for No. 2 always closed her door when she went 

 away, and never circled at all, while No. i invariably 

 circled before leaving, and always left her nest open. 

 To be sure, there was a female left on guard, so that per- 

 haps she did not feel the need of caution. 

 158 



