296 



WASP STUDIES AFIELD 



had lost his head at the chopping-block, the head was 

 found teeming with these greedy scavengers. They jostled 

 and swarmed over the tongue, eyes and all exposed moist 

 surfaces (fig. 53). 



In early spring, the queens always keep close to the 

 ground in flight, and often enter openings like mole-holes 

 or crevices in the rocks. We could easily understand their 

 low flight and hunting behavior, since it is well known that 

 this species builds paper nests underground ; they were prob- 

 ably not foraging but nest-seeking or site-hunting. On 

 May n, 1915, we saw many in the fields at Meramec High- 

 lands conducting themselves in this manner. 



FIG. 53. Vespula germanica were as thick as flies on a freshly re- 

 moved rooster's head. 



While they usually build their nests underground, we 

 once found one in a hollow log lying on the ground. It was 



