146 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



gather up her burden from the lawn and fly 

 away, often to a higher point, without any 

 apparently severe effort. More commonly, 

 when molested it deserted its prey. I was 

 quite surprised, however, that so formidable 

 a fellow should show so little disposition 

 to attack the intruding observer. 



The battle between the cicada and the 

 sphex is often a long one, but it is always 

 certain to terminate in the same way. 

 Strong as is the cicada, he has no means of 

 defence. It is the constant effort of the 

 sphex to alight on the shoulders of her vic- 

 tim, between the great fluttering wings. 

 Then she curves her long sting around be- 

 neath the cicada's body and punctures it 

 where the venom will soon soak into the 

 nerve centres that order the motions of the 

 animal's body and paralysis soon sets in. 

 Now the wasp, grasping the overturned 

 locust by its legs, flies to one of the burrows 

 she has previously made and pushes her 

 victim to the very bottom of the hole. This 

 burrow has a somewhat winding course 

 and may be as much as a yard in depth. 



