A LILLIPUTIAN LEANING TOWER 



shaft falling in so that the labour would all have to be 

 performed again even if the worker escaped. But how 

 is so small an insect (for our Odynerus is less than half an 

 inch in length) to penetrate into such hard ground to a 

 depth of several inches ? This seemingly impossible task is 

 carried out with ease, for the insect has hit upon the simple 

 and effective device of moistening the surface with drops 

 of fluid from her mouth, so that the particles become loose 

 and yield readily to the attacks of her strong jaws. By 

 this means she scrapes up a few grains of sand, which she 

 first rolls into a small pellet with the front pair of legs, 

 and then places on the edge of the cavity formed by its re- 

 moval. The tiny mass is about as large as the space within 

 the small letter " o " on this page, and it forms the founda- 

 tion-stone of one of the towers or chimneys mentioned above. 

 With the jaws and feet it is moulded and flattened and 

 pressed into position, and then the work is continued as 

 before. Pellet after pellet is fashioned in this manner and 

 placed around the rim of the hole, the sand being moistened 

 from time to time, as often as may be necessary to facilitate 

 the work of excavation. Before very long the base of the 

 tower is definitely established, and the beginning of the 

 pit is clearly apparent below the level of the surrounding 

 surface. At frequent intervals the operations are suspended 

 for a short space while the busy worker makes an excursion 

 in search of fresh supplies of fluid to pour down upon the 

 hard, dry sand; but in spite of these interruptions the 

 excavating and building proceed apace, and in the course 

 of a few hours a round tower some two inches in height, 

 standing like a Lilliputian citadel above a pit of equal depth 

 sunk in the solid earth, testifies to the untiring industry 

 of the little wasp. The first part of the tower is built 

 perpendicularly to the surface on which its foundation 



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