The AmmophilcE 2yj 



the libations of the evening before. That the 

 Social Wasp should return to her nest and the 

 Social Bee to her hive does not surprise me at 

 all : the hive and the nest are permanent 

 residences, the way to which becomes known 

 by long practice ; but the Ammophila has no 

 acquaintance with the locality which could 

 help her to return to her burrow after such a 

 long absence. Her tunnel is at a spot which 

 she perhaps visited yesterday for the first time 

 and which she must find again to-morrow, 

 when she is quite out of her bearings and more- 

 over hampered with a heavy load of game. 

 Nevertheless, this little feat of topographical 

 memory is performed, sometimes with a pre- 

 cision that left me astounded. The Wasp 

 would walk straight to her burrow as if she had 

 long been using all the little paths in the 

 neighbourhood. At other times she would 

 wander backwards and forwards and renew 

 her search over and over again. 



If the quest is greatly prolonged, the prey, 

 which is a troublesome burden when you are 

 in a hurry to find your home, is laid down in 

 some high place, on a cluster of thyme or a tuft 

 of grass, where it will be well in sight presently, 

 when wanted. Thus eased, the Ammophila 

 resumes her active search. I made a pencil- 

 sketch, as she moved about, of the tracks 



