584 Insects. 



posing the spiders to view ; this, however, she speedily built up as 

 before, at two or three loads, adding to the standing part all round the 

 hole, and not at one side only. After this I did not put her industry 

 to the task any more, but suffered her to finish her work, which she 

 did by adding another layer or two to the end. I, however, made a 

 hole in the first cell, which was quite hard and dry, to see if she would 

 observe it, which she did at once, and clapped her load of mortar on 

 it. I noticed, that while working, though the wings were closed in- 

 cumbently, she kept up a shrill buzz, like that of a bee when held in 

 the fingers : her antennae, which were usually carried nearly straight, 

 were, during the plastering, curled up, and continually vibrating, and 

 moving on the surface of the work, evidently trying it by touch, which 

 I could not see without rejecting the theory that calls the antennas 

 " ears." Tn seeking her materials, she was gone never more, often 

 less, than a minute, and always brought a similar lump in appearance, 

 which was invariably carried in the jaws, without any aid from the feet. 

 July 1. — The dauber built another cell to-day, on the other side of 

 the first, which is now therefore in the middle. I again pestered her, 

 by sticking a small tin tack in the newly laid mud, just where she 

 would have to deposit the next load. When she came she appeared 

 quite "bothered;" she ran backward and forward, and round and 

 round, over the cells for some time, with the mud in her jaws, as if at 

 a loss what to do in so novel an exigency. It was a different case 

 from the former; a hole could be stopped up, but here was an intrud- 

 ing substance just where she wanted to deposit; should she lay it on, 

 the incumbrance would be more firmly imbedded, should she place it 

 elsewhere, it would be wasted, not being needed, or perhaps be posi- 

 tively injurious ; should she attempt to remove the evil, her mouth 

 was occupied, and she was unwilling to lose her burden. At length, 

 however, as the least of the evils, she seized the tack with her jaws 

 and drew it out, dropping her mud in the effort. When away the 

 next time, I bundled up a worsted thread, and pressed it on the soft 

 work, which presented a still more serious obstacle, as she could seize 

 only a small part of it, which would yield without coming away; how- 

 ever, by taking hold of several parts successively, and tugging at them 

 a long time, and by walking round and round with it in her mouth, 

 she at length got it out. These instances of sagacity and persever- 

 ance greatly pleased me. After laying on a load, she always cleans 

 her antennae with her fore feet, and her feet with her jaws : on arriv- 

 ing, she never alights at the nest, but always on the inside of the cup- 

 board-front, and crawls along the ceiling to it. 



