210 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 





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The wasp engaged in excavating its burrow for the reception of the cicadas. 



[Photo.— .4. R. McCiilloch 



nourishment of one of its babies. It 

 may be seen hovering over the trees in 

 search of its prey, and one is led to 

 Avonder by what means it can detect 

 them. The suggestion that it traces 

 the cicada by the noise it makes is not 

 to be relied upon, because I have known 

 a wasp to secure a " locust" at a time 

 when none were " ringing." 



Further, the wasp must be guided by 

 form rather than colour, since it is 

 equally partial to both Green and 

 Yellow Mondays as well as the black 

 and yellow Fiddler, any of these being 

 seized as soon as discovered. Finding 

 a cicada, the wasp stings it in such a 

 way that it becomes paralyzed, and the 

 two drop to the ground, soitietimes 

 from a great height, with a thud which 

 provokes a last rattle from the now 

 moribund captive. 



Once the cicada is quieted, the next 

 thing is to get it honie to the nest. 

 According to a work on Australian 

 insects, the wasp rides the cicada to its 

 nest, but no details are given as to how 

 this is done. In this garden they 

 always fall from the tree with the 

 locust as described and then set 



to \\'ork to drag it through grass and 

 weeds, over sticks, or anything else 

 that may be between it and the burrow. 

 A wonderful part of the whole business 

 is the unerring instinct which guides 

 the wasp in an almost straight linejto 

 its own burrow. Even though it be 

 ten, fifteen, or twenty yards away, and 

 notwithstanding that it has flown all 

 round the tree in search of its captive, 

 the wasp unhesitatingly turns in the 

 right direction, passing by other burrows 

 without faltering until it comes to its 

 own. 



Throwing the cicada on its back so 

 that it will glide along easily, and 

 straddling across it, the wasp grips it 

 firmly with the middle pair of legs. 

 Using its long hind legs and shorter 

 front ones, and often assisting itself with 

 its wings, the homeward journey is 

 commenced. The wasp travels along 

 the ground at an amazing rate. No- 

 thing stops its progress, and every 

 available grass stem or other hold is 

 made use of by the long and spiny 

 limbs. The wasp's legs not only end in 

 two long curved claws, but every joint 

 bears a series of strong spines, which 



