twig, was three inches long and as large around as 

 a slate-pencil, while the wasp was not over an 

 inch and a quarter in length and very slender. 

 Seizing the vidtim in her jaws and straddling it, 

 the wasp walked along in this uncomfortable 

 fashion, over ground strewn with pebbles and 

 partly covered with brush. Difficulties were many, 

 and she was kept constantly pulling, tugging and 

 boosting to get the worm along. 



At length she penetrated the brush and came 

 out bearing the worm into an open gravelly space. 

 Here she turned off sharply for a distance of two 

 yards, and, after running nervously to and fro, 

 stopped in front of a small hole. She had been 

 over an hour dragging the worm. During that 

 time one main direction had been followed, though 

 never had she to my knowledge left her burden 

 and risen above the brush and trees to get her 

 bearings; yet she found her way unerringly, and 

 only turned aside because of the boulders and 

 clumps of white birch stumps. The whole distance 

 was about forty feet in a straight line, but further 

 as the wasp had gone. 



Backing into the hole, she seized the worm and 

 attempted to drag it in after her, but the entrance 



90 



