The Langtiedocian Sphex 145 



the very beginning of the digging, at the first 

 stroke of the tarsus in the dust, afterwards, 

 when the home is prepared, makes a short 

 excursion, now on foot, anon flying, and in- 

 variably finds herself in possession of a victim 

 already stabbed, already paralysed, compels 

 us to conclude, in all certainty,, that this Wasp 

 does her work as a huntress first and as a 

 burrower after, so that the place of the capture 

 decides the place of the home. 



This reversal of procedure, which causes the 

 food to be prepared before the larder, whereas 

 hitherto we have seen the larder come before 

 the food, I attribute to the weight of the Sphex' 

 prey, a prey which it is not possible to carry far 

 through the air. It is not that the Langue- 

 docian Sphex is ill-built for flight : on the 

 contrary, she can soar magnificently ; but the 

 prey which she hunts would weigh her down if 

 she had no other support than her wings. She 

 needs the support of the ground for her hauling- 

 work, in which she displays wonderful strength. 

 When laden with her prey, she always goes 

 afoot, or takes but very short flights, even under 

 conditions when flight would save her time 

 and trouble. I will quote an instance taken 

 from my latest observations on this curious 

 Wasp. 



A Sphex appears unexpectedly, coming I 



K 



