i68 INSECT LIFE 



XII 



recovered from her astonishment at the sudden 

 lightening of her load, the Sphex returns and un- 

 hesitatingly seizes the base of the antennae, the short 

 stumps not cut off. Very short they are — hardly a 

 millimetre long ; no matter, they suffice for the 

 Sphex, who grips what remains of her ropes and 

 drags anew. With many precautions not to hurt 

 her, I cut off the two stumps, now level with the 

 skull. Finding nothing to seize at the parts familiar 

 to her, she takes hold on one side of one of the long 

 palpi of her victim, and drags it, not at all put out 

 by this modification in her style of harnessing herself. 

 I leave her alone. The prey is got home and placed 

 with its head to the mouth of the burrow. The 

 Sphex enters to make a short inspection of the 

 interior before proceeding to store provisions. Her 

 tactics recall those of S. flavipennis in like circum- 

 stances. I profit by this brief moment to take the 

 abandoned prey, deprive it of all its palpi, and place 

 it a little farther off — a pace from the burrow. The 

 Sphex reappears and goes straight to her game, 

 which she saw from her threshold. She seeks above 

 the head, she seeks below, on one side, and finds 

 nothing to seize. A desperate attempt is made ; 

 opening wide her mandibles she tries to grasp the 

 ephippiger by the head, but her pincers cannot 

 surround anything so large, and slip off the round, 

 polished skull. She tries several times in vain ; at 

 length, convinced of the futility of her efforts, draws 

 back, and seems to renounce further attempts. She 

 appears discouraged — at least she smooths her wings 

 with her hind feet, while with her front tarsi, first 

 passing them through her mouth, she washes her 



