THE BURROWERS 



luncheon. One encouraging fact cheered us : aimless 

 as the wasp appeared she was slowly drawing nearer 

 and nearer to the nest ; and at last, alighting on the top 

 of a weed close by, she crouched there in a most peculiar 

 attitude, and gazed intently at the opening. Absorbed 

 and tense, she looked about to leap upon her prey; but 

 after a time she relaxed and moved about a little. Pre- 

 sently she came close to the entrance and seemed on the 

 point of going in; but the ants were swarming up and 

 down, and we thought that perhaps that step required 

 more courage than she possessed. At any rate, she did 

 not enter, but hung about for some minutes and then 

 flew away. 



Was this a young wasp out on her first hunt ? What 

 strange antiphonal desires must have stirred at the sight 

 of the nest, and how mysterious was the power that drew 

 her to it ! Was there in her brain any image of the queen 

 she must seek and sting and carry away from among 

 her guards and subjects ? Or had she perhaps already 

 achieved the adventure, and did the memory of the 

 bitter nips that little ant jaws can give make it a harder 

 task than it was the first time, when she risked the ills she 

 knew not of ? That she hesitated and carried on the 

 work reluctantly seemed to show that her flesh was 

 weak and needed the prick of conscience to drive it on. 

 175 



