(dl! J\>iiij)llidi'n-Gattuii(i Pi'i>slt<. 473 



Die iioucstcii Angaben stammen von Henry Mc Cook in seinem 

 interessanten Wcike: American spiders and tlieir spinning work (1890) 

 vol. 11, pag. o84: 



„Anotlier examplc of wasps that störe siiigle spiders is tlie largc 

 and bcantiful Pepsis formosa Say (Pompilus)^ an inhabitant of thc 

 .Soiitliwestern States of North America, vvliere it is popiilarly knowii as the 

 „tarantnla killer". This name is given becanse of its habit of storing 

 ifs burrow with that most formidable of our spider fauna, Eurypelma 

 hentzii. 1 Iiave seen this insect in Texas hawking for its gigaiitic victiui, 

 wliich showod by its hurried and excited action fall consciousncss of its 

 peril as it flcd with cager and trembling specd before its pursuer. Thc 

 late Professor l^uckley, of Austin, describes an encounter on Texais 

 soil bctween thesc two formidable creatures. 



The tarantnla killer is a bustling, nnquict insect, always in motion, 

 flyiiig now herc, now there, and when running on the ground its wings 

 are in a state of constant Vibration. Should it discover a tarantnla it 

 begins instantly to fly in circles in tl'ie air around its victim. The spider, 

 as if knowing its fate, trenibles violently, standing np and making a 

 show of fight, but the resistance is feeble and of no avail. The spider's 

 foc soon discovers a favorable moment and darts upon the tarantnla, 

 whom it wounds with its sting, and again commences flying in circles. 

 The injured spider is thrown into a trcmor, and often becomes at once 

 paralyzed, though the influcnce of a second, and eveu a third, vvound 

 is somctimes necessary. Sooner or later the spider becomes powerless 

 when the victor approaches, carefully feeling its way to see if its work 

 has been cttectually done. It then begins to drag the tarantnla into a 

 hole which it has previousl}' dug in the ground, wherein it is covered 

 np after thc deposition of an egg. The courage and address thus shown 

 in assanlt upon so formidable an animal, and the strength and perseverancc 

 requircd for its subsequent entombment, are of the highest order and 

 surely cvoke admiration, however niuch we may pity a foe doomcd to 

 so hard a fate as to be paralyzed, bnried alive, and afterward devoured 

 by a greedy grub." 



(Ein anderes Beispiel von Wespen, welche bestimmte Spinnen sammeln, 

 ist die grosse und schöne Pepsis formosa Say (Pompilus)^ ein Be- 

 wohner der südwestlichen Staaten von Nordamerika, die daselbst all- 

 gemein unter dem Namen „Taranteltöter" bekannt ist. Diesen Namen 

 hat sie deshalb erhalten, weil sie ihren Bau mit jenen sehr furchtbaren 

 Vertretern unserer Spinnenfauna füllt, nämlich der Eurypelma hentzii. 

 Ich habe das Insekt in Texas auf ihr riesiges Opfer Jagd machen 

 sehen, welches dnrch seine eilige und aufgeregte Handlung sich voll- 

 kommen der Gefahr bewusst zeigte, da er mit ungestümer und zitternder 

 Eile vor seinem V^erfolger floh. Der verstorbene Professor Buckley, 



