270 WASP STUDIES AFIELD 



made their way home. The experiment was now repeated 

 with wasps which had the antennae cut off at the base. 



Four wasps were taken from nests 24 and 25 and released 

 at 1 2 -o'clock. Two were unmarked, showing that they had 

 not been used previously; a yellow dot was placed on the 

 thorax of each. Two others already bore the white mark, 

 which showed them to have had some previous acquaint- 

 ance with their tormentors. Two of the four wasps returned 

 to the nest; one with a white mark reappeared at 4 p. m. 

 and the other, a novice, returned home at 5 : 30. 



Experiment XIV 



September 3. During the preceding week males had been 

 appearing on the nests. These, with what workers were 

 available, composed the material for this experiment. Since 

 the males had no interest in their nests, one would only 

 expect them to get lost under such treatment. After the 

 males have emerged from the nest, they are practically done 

 with it, since their function is merely the fertilization of 

 the females, and for this purpose they undoubtedly go else- 

 where and do not need to remember the home nest. 



The wasps were captured at 2 p. m., carried to the labora- 

 tory and marked, but, on account of rain, their release at 

 the mail-box was postponed until 4 o'clock. After that hour, 

 it was cloudy and dreary and much rain fell during the 

 night; the next morning also was cloudy, but in the after- 

 noon the sun shone out brightly. 



Nest 27 was out-of-doors on a rose-bush at the foot of 

 the hill. This gave us one queen and one worker, all used 

 for the first time. These were taken to the top of the hill, 

 again marked, and released. Both worker and queen were 

 found to have returned the next day at 9 : 1 5 a. m. 



Nest 28 was under the porch beside 27. Two workers 

 were taken from this and marked yellow. One had returned 



