AMMOPHILA AND HER CATERPILLARS 



through some lucky chance, another devoted herself to 

 tlu-.se duties not only with conscientious thoroughness, 

 but with an apparent craving after artistic perfection 

 that was touching to see. 



The method employed by the Ammophiles in stinging 

 their prey is more complex than that of any other preda- 

 tory wasp. The larvae with which they provision their 

 nests are made up of thirteen segments, and each of 

 these has its own nervous centre or ganglion. Hence if 

 the caterpillar is to be reduced to a state of immobility, 

 or to a state so nearly approaching immobility that the 

 egg may be safely laid upon it, a single sting, such as 

 is given by some of the Pompilidae to their captured 

 spiders, will be scarcely sufficient. All this we knew from 

 Fabre's "Souvenirs," and yet we were not at all pre- 

 pared to believe that any plain American wasp could 

 supply us with such a thrilling performance as that of 

 the Gallic hirsuta, which he so dramatically describes. 

 We were, however, most anxious to be present at the all- 

 important moment that we might see for ourselves just 

 how and where urnaria stings her victim. 



For a whole week of scorching summer weather we 



lived in the bean patch, scorning fatigue. We quoted to 



each other the example of Fabre's daughter Claire, who 



followed Odynerus with unfaltering zeal until a sun- 



23 



