38 INSECT ARTIZANS AND THEIR WORK 



pounding them down with rapid strokes, thus 

 making this spot as hard and firm as the surrounding 

 surface. Before we could recover from our astonish- 

 ment at this performance she had dropped her 

 stone and was bringing more earth. We then threw 

 ourselves down on the ground that not a motion 

 might be lost, and in a moment we saw her pick 

 up the pebble and again pound the earth into 

 place with it, hammering now here and now there 

 until all was level. Once more the whole process 

 was repeated, and then the little creature, all 

 unconscious of the commotion that she had aroused 

 in our minds — unconscious, indeed, of our yeiy 

 existence and intent only on doing her work and 

 doing it well — gave one final, comprehensive glance 

 around and flew away." 



Dr. S. W. Williston records a somewhat similar 

 experience with Ammofhila yarrowii. 



There is only a single cell at the bottom of the 

 Sand Wasp's shaft, and some species fill this with 

 several small or medium-size caterpillars ; others 

 with a single large caterpillar. All of these, of 

 course, are stung in order to paralyze them. Fabre 

 says of Ammophila hirsuta, that she provisions her 

 cell with only one caterpillar, that of one of the 

 Noctuids, which is an underground feeder and, 

 therefore, cannot be found by sight. This cater- 

 pillar she stings about nine times in as many for- 

 ward divisions of its body. She waits until she has 

 secured this caterpillar before she sets to work at 

 her mining operations. 



