282 WASP STUDIES AFIELD 



seemed larger than usual. What surprised us very much 

 was to see so many at leisure, for one never sees a Polistes 

 but it is either on the nest or nervously flitting from bush 

 to bush in quest of prey, and at this date they ought to be 

 in hibernation. 



We watched these Polistes, perhaps twenty- five of them, 

 for about three hours, and decided, from their manner, that 

 the warm sunshine had lured them from their hibernating- 

 places, and that they were enjoying some activity before 

 again entering their cold, gloomy holes. 



The dilapidated stone building had numerous crevices be- 

 tween the stones, but most of them were small; a very 

 few were large enough to permit the wasps to enter and dis- 

 appear from view. The wasps were flying against the 

 wall in various places, examining a number of crevices in 

 rapid succession, all much too small. Often they would 

 fly away for some distance, wheel around and return, and 

 eventually enter one that was large enough and remain 

 therein. 



Presently we saw that soon all of them would be gone, 

 so, one by one, we took eighteen of them for study. It is 

 a strange fact that of these every one of the P. annular is 

 were males, and all of the P. rubiginosus were queens. We 

 have often wondered if this condition was the same 

 throughout the flock. 



They continued to play, sometimes only one on the 

 wall and sometimes as many as six, until all had found 

 sheltering crevices or had been captured. All seemed to 

 have the same end in view, to find a suitable lodging-place. 

 The entire performance was confined to the sunny side of 

 the building, although the other walls offered every induce- 

 ment excepting the sunshine. 



Of the eighteen which were taken home and kept in the 

 laboratory, only ten were living a week later. They all 



