MINERS 33 



Then suddenly there was a pause. The burrower 

 had met with some obstacle. A moment more 

 and she came backing out of the hole, her feet 

 slipping on its crumbling edges. In her mandibles 

 she carried a pebble, which was taken to a distance 

 of four or five inches. Then, moving quickly, she 

 swept away the dust that had accumulated near 

 the mouth of the nest, re-entered the hole, and 

 resumed the labour of excavation. We thought 

 that the rate at which she worked was too violent 

 to be kept up very long ; and sure enough, before 

 ten minutes had passed, the nest was deep enough 

 for her purposes. . . . The wasp came out, circled 

 round the spot three or four times, and then flew 

 off like a hurricane. Never have we seen a creature 

 so fiery, tempestuous, cyclonic. Before we knew 

 her proper title we took to calHng her the tornado 

 wasp, and by that name we shall always think of her." 

 She was back in a minute with her spider, dug 

 out a little more earth, then seizing her victim by 

 one leg, she dragged it backward into the nest. 

 " She remained hidden for about two minutes, then 

 reappeared, and, seeming to be in as great a hurry 

 as ever, filled the hole with dirt. To disguise the 

 spot and render it indistinguishable from the rest 

 of the field was her next care. Hither and thither 

 she rushed, now bringing little pellets of earth 

 and placing them above the nest, now sweeping 

 away the loose dust which might suggest the 

 presence of the cache, and now tugging frantically 

 at a stone which she wanted to place over the 

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