The Mason-Wasps 



Now that we know the provision-jar, let 

 us ascertain what it contains. The Pe- 

 lopaeus' larvae are fed on Spiders, a diet 

 likewise dear to the Ageniae and to the 

 Pompili. 1 The game does not lack variety, 

 even in the same nest and the same cell. 

 Any Spider may form part of the ration, 

 provided that her dimensions do not exceed 

 the capacity of the jar. My abstracts of 

 victuals mention the following genera: 

 Epeira, 2 Segestria, Clubionus, 3 Attus, The- 

 ridion and Lycosa; 4 and the list could 

 no doubt be extended, were it worth while 

 to continue the bill of fare. The Epeirae 

 are most numerous. Those recurring most 

 frequently belong to the following species: 

 E. diadema, scalaris, adianta, pallida and 

 angulata. The Diadem Epeira, or Cross 

 Spider, 5 with three crosses of white dots on 

 her back, is the dish that occurs oftenest. 



I should hesitate to regard this frequency 



1 The Pompilus, or Ringed Calicurgus, is a Hunting 

 Wasp, feeding her young on Spiders. Cf. The Life and 

 Love of the Insect: chap. xii. — Translator's Note. 



2 For the Epeirae, or Garden Spiders, cf. The Life of the 

 Spider: chaps, ix. to xiv. — Translator's Note. 



3 One of the Tube-weaving Spiders. — Translator's Note. 



4 For Theridion lugubre and the Narbonne Lycosa, or 

 Black-bellied Tarantula, cf. The Life of the Spider: chap, 

 i. — Translator's Note. 



5 Cf . The Life of the Spider: chaps, vi. and vii. — Trans- 

 lator's Note. 



90 



