3i8 WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



denly a wasp attacked one of the largest of the flies, 

 and the two fell down on a bush, where they brought 

 up on a leaf. 



The fly was very large, of a square build, and 

 wrestled with its assailant vigorously. But in a few 

 seconds the wasp, getting the mastery, brought his 

 tail round, and stung the fly twice, thrice, in rapid suc- 

 cession, in the abdomen, and then held tight. Almost 

 immediately the fly grew feeble ; then the wasp snipped 

 off its proboscis, and next the legs. Then he seized 

 the fly just behind the head, and bit off pieces of the 

 wings ; these, the proboscis, and the legs, dropped to 

 the ground. The fell purpose of the wasp is not 

 easily described ; he stung and snipped and bit, and 

 reduced his prey to utter helplessness, without the 

 pause of a second. 



So eager was he that while cutting the wings to 

 pieces he fell off the leaf, but clung tight to the fly, 

 and although it was nearly as big as himself, carried 

 it easily to another leaf. There he rolled the fly round, 

 snipped off the head, which dropped, and devoured 

 the internal part ; but slipped again and recovered 

 himself on a third leaf, and as it were picked the 

 remaining small portion. What had been a great 

 insect had almost disappeared in a few minutes. 



After the arrival of the fieldfares the days seem to 

 lapidly shorten, till towards the end of December the 

 cocks, reversing their usual practice, crow in the 

 evening, hours before midnight. The cockcrow is 

 usually associated with the dawn, and the change 



