THE BLUE HUNTRESS 69 



shelter. The slightest projecting bit of stone work, even a sharp 

 grain of sand overlooked, might injure the tender bodies of the in- 

 sect's" offspring. Thus we see her tamping a tiny pebble or a bit of 

 hardened mortar, until it sinks into the smooth wall of the chamber. 

 Over and over, she inspects her work, scraping, brushing, tamping, 

 until the cradle bears no resemblance, except that of color, to the 

 coarse, sticky substance from the pit. Her nest reminds me of a 

 callow suburban home, terra cotta and jagged stones. Her taste is 

 not cultured, but we may excuse her quite readily. She specifies these 

 droll materials for a vital reason. 



The huntress is a skilled worker she is a prodigy, requiring but 

 a single tool to fashion the mortar nursery. The tip of her abdomen 

 is a veritable tool chest all in one, a universal appliance with which 

 the work is done. True, she gathers and carries material w r ith her 

 mandibles, but the house itself is wrought by the last segment of her 

 body. It is a modeler's gouge, with which she measures the cells, 

 decides their contour, smooths their walls and fashions the entrances. 

 Throughout the building one finds tiny, triangular indentures, where 

 the tool has left its impression. 



The finished nest consists of three tubes, placed one upon another. 

 They are open at one end, where the entrances are slightly funnel- 

 shaped like the mouths of flower vases. The tubes or cells measure 

 thirty-four millimeters in diameter. There is variation to a slight 

 degree, but the measurements are the average of several nests. The 

 insect works energetically, completing the work in five days. One 

 cell is constructed, provisioned and an egg deposited, before a second 

 one is commenced. 



As soon as a cell is finished, the wasp sets out in search of pro- 

 visions with which to assure the successful life of her offspring. She 

 travels the open sunny trails, or the dark floor of the forest. One is as 

 good as another, provided there are dead leaves or fallen branches 



