54 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[March 1, 1894. 



obtained from microscopic slides, and therefore represent 

 the objects crushed flat so as to secure suitable transparency 

 for microscopic examination. In consequence of this crush- 

 ing, the lancets in the hornet's sting have escaped from 

 the grooved dart within which they are ordinarily con- 

 cealed. But there is an advantage in this, for the 

 backward-bent barbs at their tips have thus become very 

 distinctly visible, and make it easy to understand the 

 difficulty of withdrawing the sting from the wound. The 

 two hair-beset feelers would, under natural circumstances, 

 lie by the sides of the dart, where they serve the 

 purpose of investigators of the surface on which the 

 puncture is to be made. In this figure only the 

 external part of the sting is shown, and this can be 

 plunged into the wound as far as the point where 

 the diameter of the dart suddenly increases. In the 

 bee's sting, which may be compared with the figure 

 of a wasp's sting in our last number, the lancets have 

 retained their natural position, but their outline can be 

 traced within the hollow dart ; their long, slender ends can 

 then be followed through the pouch-like thickening at the 

 base of the dart until they curve round at the toj) and 

 communicate with the levers, which appear as dark bars 

 to the right of the pouch. The muscles by which this 

 complicated mechanism is worked have been dissolved 

 away so as to render the framework more distinct. From 

 the head of the pouch-like enlargement, the delicate mem- 

 branous tube which conveys the poison to the sting can be 

 traced between the lancets and the levers. It leads into 

 the poison bag, the whole of which is present and appears 

 as a rounded body at the upper part on the right. The 

 secreting tubes, which elaborate the poison and supply it to 

 this receptacle, have been removed, as have also the feelers. 

 When net in use, the whole of the apparatus shown in both 

 these figures is withdrawn into a cavity between the ter- 

 minal plates of the body, and nothing of it can be seen 

 from the outside. 



There is no doubt that a good deal of difference exists 

 as to the readiness with which the different kinds of bees 

 and wasps will resort to the use of the sting. Amongst 

 the humble bees it has been noticed that the subterranean 

 builders are far more irascible than those that construct 

 nests above ground, and the most fiery-tempered of them 

 all IS the great red-tailed species {Bowhus Inpidarius), the 

 big females of which will inflict a severe sting upon any- 

 one who incautiously interferes with their quarters. Even 

 amongst the same species, the readiness to bring the 

 weapon into requisition varies with the temperature and 

 other climatic circumstances, as well as with the nervous 

 condition of the insect. That the creatures have " moods," 

 and that these affect their pugnacity, is well shown in the 

 record Sir John Lubbock has given of the adventures of a 

 tame wasp he kept for nine months. It was not a true 

 Vesjia, nor indeed an English species at all, but a kind 

 called Polisti's (jaUira, which Sir John had obtained in the 

 Pyrenees. He says : " I had no difficulty in inducing her 

 to feed on my hand, but at first she was shy and nervous. 

 She kept her sting in constant readiness ; and once or 

 twice in the train, when the railway officials came for 

 tickets, and I was compelled to hurry her back into her 

 bottle, she stung me slightly — I think, however, entirely 

 from fright. Gradually she became quite used to me, and 

 when I took her on my hand apparently expected to be 

 fed. She even allowed me to stroke her without any 

 appearance of fear, and for some months I never saw her 

 sting." It is pathetic that the good mutual understanding 

 thus established could not be prolonged into another 

 season ; but notwithstanding the greatest cai-e taken on 

 the human side, the rigours of the English winter proved 



too much for the constitution of the creature that had been 

 born under sunnier skies. Paralysis set in, and soon the 

 last record had to be penned, that " she could but move 

 her tail, a last token, as I could almost fancy, of gratitude 

 and afl'ection." 



The aculeate Hymenoptera might be roughly divided 

 into three sections, according to the nature of the food ; 

 first, tliose that are purely vegetarian in diet, viz., the 

 bees ; second, those that are omnivoi-ous, viz., the ants 

 and social wasps ; and third, those that are distinctly 

 cai'nivorous, viz., the solitary wasps and fossores. It has 

 already been pointed out that this last group are excellent 

 hunters, whose armoury consists of jaws and sting. Some 

 of them manifest remarkable patience and skill in the 

 search for provisions wherewith to anticipate the wants of 

 their expected brood ; in fact, it has been suggested that 

 there may be distinguished amongst them species that, by 

 long use, have brought their predatory practices to such 

 a pitch of perfection that the pursuit and conquest of 

 then* prey has almost assumed the characteristics of a fine 

 art, while others are still comparative bunglers at the 

 work. A numerous section of this group consists of very 

 active insects with an abdomen which is usually red, 

 while the rest of the body is black ; they hunt down 

 spiders, which in some cases are considerably larger and 

 heavier than their captors. M. Ferton has recorded in 

 the Transactions of the lAnnaan Societi/ of Bordeaux a 

 number of observations which he has made upon the 

 habits of these insects, the Pampilidce, and we give below 

 some of the most interesting cases. It should be remem- 

 bered that spiders also have a supply of poison, which is 

 poured out through their jaws, so that in all contests 

 between them and the PonipiUdce the advantage is not all 

 on one side, but there are risks to be encountered by both 

 parties. Nevertheless, the fly, although often the smaller 

 of the two, is usually the braver. 



Some of these Powjiilida go boldly into the lairs of 

 those spiders that construct such abodes, instead of 

 waiting for a chance passer by, or hunting in the open. 

 In such cases the spider seems usually to recognize that it 

 has met with its match, and endeavours to escape as 

 quickly as possible. M. Ferton relates of one species, 

 which hunts a kind of spider that lives in a burrow closed 

 by a stone, that the fly removes the stone, boldly enters 

 the burrow, and slays the spider, afterwards dragging out 

 its carcase and conveying it to its own nest. In another 

 instance a Pompilid was seen digging vigorously at an 

 isolated tuft of grass ; suddenly it ceased its exertions and 

 a spider was seen crawling cautiously up one of the grass 

 stalks, and trying to escape by jumping from one to the 

 other. Immediately the wasp was after it, prudently 

 keeping, however, at arm's length, till at last the spider, 

 having reached the edge of the grass-tuft, and apparently 

 recognizing that it would stand no chance on the open 

 ground with its pursuer close behind it, gave itself up for 

 lost, threw itself to the ground, packed its legs up close to 

 the body, shamming death, and awaited its fate. The wasp 

 darted down upon it and gave it a couple of stings in the 

 most vulnerable part, and all was over. Sometimes the 

 sting was not sufficient to kill the prey, and then the legs 

 of the spider were often bitten off by the wasp, lest there 

 should be undesirable struggles on the way home. 

 M. Ferton sometimes rescued the spider after it had been 

 stung, and endeavoured, in some cases successfully, to 

 resuscitate it. In one instance the spider was at first 

 quite motionless, but after two hours it began to show 

 signs of life, and, gradually regaining its powers, was by 

 the next day fully recovered. It was noticed that an 

 endeavour was always made to inflict the sting in the 



