SPIDERS. 45 



how to Sting to that degree as to leave them par- 

 alysed but alive, until their eggs are hatched ; and 

 the larvae feed on the horrid mass of powerless, 

 half-killed victims — a sight which has been de- 

 scribed by an enthusiastic naturalist* as curious 

 and pleasing ! I was much interested one day by 

 watching a deadly contest between a Pepsis and a 

 large spider of the genus Lycosa. The wasp made 

 a sudden dash at its prey, and then flew away : 

 the spider was evidently wounded, for, trying to 

 escape, it rolled down a little slope, but had still 

 strength sufficient to crawl into a thick tuft of grass. 

 The wasp soon returned, and seemed surprised at 

 not immediately finding its victim. It then com- 

 menced as regular a hunt as ever hound did after 

 fox ; making short semicircular casts, and all the 

 time rapidly vibrating its wings and antennae. The 

 spider, though well concealed, was soon discov- 

 ered ; and the wasp, evidently still afraid of its ad- 

 versary's jaws, after much manoeuvring, inflicted 

 two stings on the under side of its thorax. At last, 

 carefully examining with its antennEe the now mo- 

 tionless spider, it proceeded to drag away the 

 body. But I stopped both tyrant and prey.f 



The number of spiders, in proportion to other 

 insects, is here, compared with England, very much 

 larger ; perhaps more so than with any other di- 

 vision of the articulate animals. The variety of 



* In a MS. in the British Museum by Mr. Abbott, who made 

 his observations in Georgia ; see Mr. A. White's paper in the 

 "Annals of Nat. Hist.," vol. vii., p. 472. Lieut. Hutton has de- 

 scribed a sphex with similar habits in India, in the " Journal of 

 the Asiatic Society," vol. i., p. 555. 



t Don Felix Azara (vol. i., p. 175), mentioning a hymenopterous 

 insect, probably of the same genus, says, he saw jt dragging a 

 dead spider through tall grass, in a straight line to its nest, which 

 was one hundred and sLxty-three paces distant. He adds that 

 the wasp, in order to find the road, every now and then made 

 " demi-tours d'environ trois palmes." 



