294 THE COCKROACH AND ITS ENEMY. 
ing her writ of habeas corpus upon the Sapmee roach, 
full a dozen times her size. 
The wasp enters the apartment, and instantly a great 
commotion takes place among the cockroaches (and their 
name is legion in the tropics); frantic with fear, they 
seek a place of greater security, and, in their haste, often 
rush into the very danger they seek to avoid; for, should 
the keen eye of the wasp light upon them, the case is a 
hopeless one. (It is a matter of wonder in what manner 
the roach should know of the presence of the wasp, and 
we can only conjecture that its keen perception may dis- 
tinguish a peculiar sound in the vibrations of the wings 
of its enemy, as the larger animals are said to in the roar- 
ing of the lion.) The wasp flies like a fury at the roach, 
anid a severe struggle takes place; both using legs and 
_ wings in the fight, the contest is usually a short one, for 
the wasp, seizing its victim by the head, or front of the tho- 
rax, bends its body short round and plunges its sting into 
the nearest part, and the roach, who a moment before was 
fighting for dear life, becomes as quiet as a sleeping in- 
fant,—not a leg moves. The victorious wasp draws off 
a few inches, seeming to survey her vanquished foe with 
pride, then proceeds to brush off the dust from its bril- 
liant coat and wings, and, after pluming its antenne, pre- 
pares to place its prize in a secluded spot. Taking the 
roach by the head, she leads him away a few feet, and, 
leaving him, examines the vicinity for this purpose. In 
‘ one instance, the cockroach was dragged with consider- 
able trouble between the leaden lining of a tea-chest 
and the outer box; in another, an open-backed book 
answered her purpose; but the most singular spot was 
the inside of a door-lock. The cockroach walked slowly 
up the door to the key-hole, led by the wasp, and, after 
