The Hunting Wasps 



that up there, under the red tiles of the roof, 

 she will find nooks rich in old dust. She 

 leaves her prey at the foot of the house and 

 flies up to the roof. For some time, I see 

 her looking here, there and everywhere. 

 After finding a proper site, she begins to work 

 under the curve of a pantile. In ten minutes 

 or fifteen at most, the home is ready. The 

 insect now flies down again. The Ephip- 

 piger is promptly found. She has to be taken 

 up. Will this be done on the wing, as cir- 

 cumstances seem to demand? Not at all. 

 The Sphex adopts the toilsome method of 

 scaling a perpendicular wall, with a surface 

 smoothed by the mason's trowel and measur- 

 ing twenty to twenty-five feet in height. See- 

 ing her take this road, dragging the game 

 between her legs, I at first think the feat im- 

 possible; but I am soon reassured as to the 

 outcome of the bold attempt. Getting a 

 foothold on the little roughnesses in the mor- 

 tar, the plucky insect, despite the hindrance of 

 her heavy load, walks up this vertical plane 

 with the same assured gait and the same speed 

 as on level ground. The top is reached with- 

 out the least accident; and the prey is laid 

 temporarily on the edge of the roof, upon the 

 '58 



