WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



69 



some of the same species of wasps found that 

 Fabre's conclusions could not be relied 

 upon. 



In concluding the details of observations of 

 the conduct of the longicorns in the base- 

 ment it may be of interest to note their 

 strange and wonderful action in responding 

 to the changes in climatic conditions. Let it 

 be borne in mind that the basement was 

 partially underground, in fact one side and 

 two ends were almost wholly so, consequently 

 the temperature was quite uniform and varied 

 but little with the changes frequently oc- 

 curring outside. Notwithstanding this con- 

 dition the beetles would emerge from their 

 cells in the wood only on such days as were 

 warm and bright outside. When days oc- 

 curred that were cool with an overcast sky, 

 the beetles seemed to prefer to remain in the 

 darkness and confinement of their cells than 

 to make their entrance into freedom under 

 such climatic condition, and none were to be 

 seen on the window or door screen. This 

 would not appear so remarkable if the logs 

 had been outside where the sun's rays would 

 beat upon them. In that way enough heat 

 might be absorbed by the wood to acquaint 

 the insects harbored under its bark with 

 weather conditions that existed to their liking. 

 But of course that was impossible in the 

 basement, for wood is a poor conductor of heat 

 and could not through outside conditions 

 vary in temperature to any degree appreciable 

 by man. Then how did these bettles distin- 

 guish between warm and cool days? I con- 

 fess I do not know, and the only solution 

 that occurs to me now is unsusceptible of 

 proof, and that is the insects are far more 

 sensitive to weather changes than we can 

 comprehend from our own experience. We 

 do know that the sense of sight, hearing, 

 smell, direction, etc., is developed in some 

 other forms of life to a far greater degree 

 and is of more delicate nature than has ever 

 been known in man. 



While taking a stroll on one of the back 

 roads in the northwestern suburbs of Napa 

 one pleasant day in the middle of September, 

 I noticed a yellow jacket, Vespes Germanica. 

 scouting around, flying a few inches above 

 the ground, as if in search of game. Finally 

 it made several close circles over a frag- 

 ment of a twig which was about the size of 

 a man's finger, then lit upon it. From 

 previous observations of these wasps in 

 search of game I at once concluded that this 

 yellow jacket had reason to believe that the 

 twig was giving shelter to some kind of in- 

 sect that it was hunting for. I got down on 

 the ground as near by as possible to observe 

 what took place in the next few seconds. 

 There was a small depression in the earth 

 along one side of the twig with a smaller hole 

 leading under the twig. Into this the wasp 

 made an effort to enter, but the hole was 

 apparently too small to admit much more 

 than its head. Finding that it could not enter 

 and secure whatever was hidden there it soon 

 gave up the effort and flew away. From the 

 maneuvers of the wasp I felt sure some kind 

 of an insect lay under the protection of the 



twig and my curiosity was aroused to know 

 what it might be, but before I could remove 

 it to ascertain what it was, I was astonished 

 to see a common-looking fly not unlike an 

 ordinary house-fly come part way out of the 

 small hole to a position where it could get 

 something of a view of the surroundings. It 

 apparently knew that one of its enemy had 

 made an attempt on its life and curiosity to 

 see and know what it was had prompted it to 

 come out of its retreat for that purpose. It 

 had not been out more than a few seconds 

 when unfortunately I made some movement 

 that caused the fly to disappear in a flash 

 back down in the hole. 



The interesting feature of the incident was 

 the remarkable perceptive power of the yel- 

 low jacket in locating the fly in hiding under 

 the twig. How did it know that under that 

 particular twig, out of sight, lay a morsel of 

 food for which it was in search and possibly 

 in need? Its preliminary hovering over the 

 spot indicated its discovery of the lair of the 

 fly, and by going directly to the hole leading 

 under the twig immediately after alighting, 

 was convincing that some kind of intelligence, 

 or actions inspired by a highly developed sense 

 of smell, or the endowment of a peculiar 

 power, without intellect or reason, which some 

 naturalists describe as instinct, directed the 

 whole proceeding. Which is a question that 

 observers have been disputing for years past 

 and one that may never be settled scien- 

 tifically. 



The subsequent act of the fly in coming 

 part way out of its retreat to get a view of 

 the intruder that had threatened its existence 

 was but little less in interest as another ex- 

 hibition of intellect or a strangely developed 

 instinct. 



It is impossible, so far as my knowledge 

 of the subject is developed at the present 

 time, to accept the theory that such insects 

 mentioned in the foregoing have no mentality 

 whatever, and that such of their acts coincid- 

 ing with the acts of animal life of higher 

 order with known brain power under like con- 

 ditions, are only the impulses of instinct. To 

 adopt this' idea is to acknowledge that the 

 brain with which nature has supplied their 

 organization has no other function than that 

 arising from connection with the nerve 

 ganglia. 



No close observer of the doings of the in- 

 dividuals of lower forms of life can be un- 

 mindful of the fact that instinct, developed 

 to a wonderous degree, is the directing force 

 responsible for the main work of their 

 existence and the systematic and peculiar 

 methods followed in its accomplishment. 

 However, some of these observers do not be- 

 lieve that the possession of such instinct pre- 

 cludes consciousness and the ability to reason 

 to some extent. 



Perhaps when the question is solved, if it 

 ever is, it will be found that the solution lies 

 somewhere between the claims of the ex- 

 tremists of both sides. 



On one August afternoon at Diablo, while 

 walking in the hay stubble near the house. 

 I noticed a Vespa Germanica (yellow jacket) 



