The Hunting Wasps 



even and so offer resistance to this method of 

 carting, the Wasp clasps her unwieldy burden 

 and carries it with very short flights, inter- 

 spersed, as often as possible, with journeys on 

 foot. We never see her undertake a sus- 

 tained flight, for long distances, holding the 

 game in her legs, as is the practice of those 

 expert aviators, the Bembeces and Cerceres, 

 for instance, who bear through the air for 

 more than half a mile their respective Flies 

 or Weevils, a very light booty compared with 

 the huge Ephippiger. The overpowering 

 weight of her capture compels the Langue- 

 docian Sphex, to make the whole or nearly 

 the whole journey on foot, her method of 

 transport being consequently slow and labori- 

 ous. 



The same reason, the bulk and weight of 

 the prey, have entirely reversed the usual or- 

 der which the Burrowing Wasps follow in 

 their operations. This order we know: it 

 consists in first digging a burrow and then 

 stocking it with provisions. As the victim is 

 not out of proportion to the strength of the 

 spoiler, it is quite simple to carry it flying, 

 which means that the Wasp can choose any 

 site that she likes for her dwelling. She does 

 not mind how far afield she goes for her 

 148 



