THE SPIDER RAVISHERS. 151 



her in view, and she flew up, leaving the spider on the ground. 

 "We seized the opportunity to bend and twist the plants this 

 way and that so that the ground might be left uncovered. The 

 changes that we made probably disconcerted her for she seemed 

 to lose track of her prey. For over half an hour she hunted 

 about, circling above the place and running around and around 

 over the ground. She often came so close to the spider that 

 we could not understand why she did not see it. At last it was 

 recovered and again she started off. We tried to follow her 

 but the vines were so thick that, in spite of our efforts, she 

 soon disappeared into the undiscovered country which we thus 

 far had been unable to penetrate. 



Up to this time we had been entirely unable to understand 

 the actions of marginatus, and each new example added to our 

 confusion instead of clearing it away. We were inclined to 

 think that she never made a nest for herself but caught her 

 spider and then hurried about for a good place to store it, and 

 that her absurd conduct was the result of an indecision of char- 

 acter which made it extremely difficult for her to choose a place 

 and be contented with it. The last part of. this judgment holds 

 true, even now when we know her whole history, but we have 

 at last learned that she does dig her own nest. 



We had watched a wasp for some time as she carried her 

 spider from place to place, and finally saw her take it into a 

 crevice among some rough lumps of earth which she had pre- 

 viously examined. We expected one of the long spells of event- 

 less waiting to which she had accustomed us, but on lying down 

 and peering into the hole we found that there was an opening 

 on the further side, for a ray of light feebly penetrated the 

 interior. Moving about in this dim illumination was our wasp, 

 and after a little, we could see, quite distinctly, that she was 

 digging a hole. This then is her method to find some sheltered 

 hiding-place where she may secretly make her nest, that no 

 creature may know where her treasure is hidden. 



We have twice seen a marginatus pick up her spider and fly 



