The Hunting Wasps 



up during the two or three weeks of waiting. 

 Consider the puny Sphaerophoria, the larva's 

 first mouthful. How much liquid has that 

 body to satisfy the needs of evaporation? 

 An infinitesimal drop, a mere nothing. The 

 abdomen is a thin strip; its two sides touch. 

 Can such game as this form the basis of pre- 

 served food, seeing that evaporation would 

 dry up its juices in a few hours when these 

 are not renewed by nutrition? It is doubt- 

 ful, to say the least. 



Let us examine the method of hunting, so 

 as to throw some final light on the subject. In 

 the quarry removed from between the legs of 

 the Bembex, it is not rare to observe signs 

 of a hurried capture, made anyhow, accord- 

 ing to the chances of a rough-and-tumble 

 fight. The Fly sometimes has her head 

 turned the wrong way round, as though the 

 spoiler had wrung her neck; her wings are 

 crushed; her fur, when she possesses any, is 

 ruffled. I have seen some that had their bel- 

 lies ripped open by their assailant's mandi- 

 bles and had lost their legs in the battle. As 

 a rule, however, the victim is intact. 



No matter: considering the nature of the 

 game, endowed with good wings for flying, 

 300 



