SOME SOCIAL WASPS 247 



Mississippi river; the Meramec river was one-half mile to 

 the north ; two miles southward was the town of Kimmswick, 

 and to the northwest, by a winding road of two and one-half 

 miles, lay the village of Becks. 



The experiments will follow in chronological order, in- 

 stead of a more appropriate order, since many of the 

 wasps were used in more than one experiment. 



Experiment I 



June 19; weather bright and sunny. Queens from nests 

 I, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were taken at 4.53 p. m. and carried in 

 complete darkness along the level road for one-eighth mile, 

 in a northerly direction, to the rural mail-box. This road 

 led through a wheat-field and corn-patch with a strip of 

 dense woods midway, over which the returning wasps would 

 have to fly. The wind was blowing toward the south, a di- 

 rection favorable to their homeward journey. 



All of the wasps returned to their nests; no. i made the 

 trip in 25^ minutes, 2 in 25 minutes, 3 in 22 minutes, 4 in 

 24 minutes, 5 in 49 minutes and no. 6 in 72 minutes. Their 

 behavior upon being released was as interesting as it was 

 varied. The wasps, in order to reach home, must fly directly 

 toward the south. No. I flew into the air to a height of six 

 feet, made a complete circle and flew toward the west and 

 was lost in the glare of the sun; no. 2 went up for about 

 seven feet, made a quarter-circle from the west to the north, 

 and landed in a tree fifteen feet beyond the point of release; 

 after a minute it left the tree and flew southeast for about 

 five hundred feet, when it was lost to view. No. 3 went east 

 and alighted on an oak tree ; no. 4 went southwest for about 

 one hundred and fifty feet and then dropped into the wheat- 

 field. No. 5 went west for two hundred feet, then made a 

 complete circle, flew northeast for one hundred and fifty 

 feet, landed in a tree and remained there for a few seconds ; 



