42 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



CHAPTEE III. 



THE INHABITANTS OF AN OLD STUMP. 



Rhopalum pedicellatum Pack., and Stigmus Americanus Pack. 



In a search for the nests of one of our garden wasps we found, 

 in the woods to the north of the fence, and not far distant from 

 it, an old, weather-beaten stump which was riddled with holes 

 both large and small. The large ones were evidently the pas- 

 sage ways of ants and were in constant use. The small ones 

 seemed to be uninhabited but thinking that possibly they might 

 contain the nests we were in search of, and hoping that if we 

 watched long enough we might see our wasps flitting in and out, 

 we settled ourselves close by. "We were resolved to stay as long 

 as was necessary and we blessed the fate that made it our duty 

 to sit on the grass under the shade of a wide-spreading oak rather 

 than in the distressing glare and heat of the garden, for this 

 was on the tenth of July, and the weather was what the farmers 

 call "seasonable." 



Twenty, thirty, forty minutes passed. Our eyes ached with 

 persistent gazing and we had nearly made up our minds that the 

 likely looking little holes were untenanted, when lo! a tiny wasp, 

 carrying something which we could not see distinctly, darted in- 

 to one of them. It was gone so quickly that we could not be 

 sure that it was the species we were looking for, and when it re- 

 appeared, after two or three minutes, we saw that it was not. 

 This point being determined we watched the hole with re- 

 doubled interest. 



It was wearisome work, for the wasp stayed away a long time 

 and we dared not let our gaze wander lest she should slip in 

 without our knowledge. At the end of thirty-five minutes she 



