The Hairy Ammophila 337 



gorgeous drama that passes before my eyes. 

 The observation is made under the most favour- 

 able conditions : I am lying on the ground, 

 close to the slaughterer, and not one detail 

 escapes me. 



1. The Ammophila seizes the caterpillar by 

 the back of the neck with the curved pincers of 

 her mandibles. The Grey Worm struggles vio- 

 lently, rolling and unrolling its contorted body. 

 The Wasp remains quite unconcerned : she 

 stands aside and thus avoids the shocks. Her 

 sting strikes the joint between the first segment 

 and the head, on the median ventral line, at a 

 spot where the skin is more delicate. The dart 

 stays in the wound with some persistency. This, 

 it appears, is the essential blow, which will 

 master the Grey Worm and make it more easy 

 to handle. 



2. The Ammophila now quits her prey. She 

 flattens herself on the ground, with wild, dis- 

 ordered movements, rolling on her side, twitch- 

 ing and dangling her limbs, fluttering her wings, 

 as though in danger of death. I fear lest the 

 huntress may ha^^e received a nasty wound in 

 the contest. I am overcome with emotion at 

 seeing the plucky Wasp finish so piteously, at 

 seeing the experiment that has cost me so many 

 hours of waiting end in failure. But suddenly 

 the Ammophila recovers, smooths her wings, 



Y 



