THE WHITE-FOOTED WASP 41 



tive than they were of wasps. The pits, after a rainfall, often con- 

 tained several inches of water. When bailed out, a pasty layer of clay 

 would be left in the bottom of each. This material, a ready made 

 mortar, proved attractive to a number of wasps, which used mud 

 in the construction of their nests. Tiny little reed-wasps, medium- 

 sized ones, big blue huntresses, daubers and a dozen others collected 

 at this abundant public property. Here, side by side, they gathered 

 their building material, all laboring in a great common design for 

 the welfare of their race in the future. 



The wasp brought several loads to her tube, scraping it up from 

 the floor of the pitfall and carrying in it little globules to her door- 

 way. Once within, a high-keyed squeaking and buzzing would con- 

 tinue until the clay was thoroughly kneaded into a safety plug 

 at the upper end of the reed. Her trips between nest and pit were 

 continued for nearly an hour, like a hod-carrier laboriously plying 

 between mortar box and masonry. After many trips back and forth 

 she disappeared, returning in a little less than half and hour with 

 a limp, paralyzed spider. 



The victim, a medium-sized creature, was richly colored and 

 patterned in various shades of brown. Its body was quite small, 

 measuring six millimeters in width, but the legs, all of which were 

 intact, were long and rather cumbersome to the wasp. With her 

 burden she flew directly to the entrance of her nest. She alighted 

 with difficulty, then turning about and grasping the spider by one 

 of its palpi she endeavored to enter the reed backwards. All went 

 well for a time. The victim's cephalothorax and fore legs caused 

 no trouble, but its abdomen caught at once upon the sharp edge of 

 the reed, which tapered almost to a point. From this point the 

 spider would not budge and what is more, was in great danger 

 of being punctured. Had the wasp pulled too hard it certainly 

 would have been impaled on the reed and ruined for future use. 



