102 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



spider's presence rnay sometimes possibly enable their enemies, the 

 highly sensitiTe and keen-eyed Pompilus to capture them. Where 

 the nests occur among moss as mentioned by Mr. Laing, or among 

 low, close-growing vegetation their presence is at all times more 

 difficult to detect. I think Mr. Laing's description of the form and 

 structure of the trap-doors is most probably the right one, as T hare 

 invariably lound them to be flat, or very slightly arched, but never 

 plug-shaped. Of course there may occasionally be exceptions, but 

 such may sometimes be the result of accident, caused by any weight 

 resting or falling on the lid. I however, think that the flat-door 

 would naturally be more serviceable to the spiders, in enabling them 

 to insert their claws between the top of the nest and the door when 

 opening it. In the case of the exceptional nest with a " cork-type " 

 door, it is to be regretted that Mr. Laing did not capture the spider 

 within it. 



In regard to the editorial footnote to Mr. Laing's paper (page oi) 

 on the subject of wasps stinging spiders, and rendering them for a 

 time comatose, I may here briefly refer to the habits of Pompilus (Prioz- 

 ne?nisj fugax, one of the handsomest of our native wasps. Unlike many 

 indigenous Hymenoptera in New Zealand, it appears to increase 

 slowly in numbers in cultivated districts. This appears to be due to 

 the presence of a common spider* {Cambridge^, fasciaia), which it 

 captures and stores in its nest to feed its larva. Like the introduced 

 humble-bee it generally builds its nest in dry cavities or cracks in 

 raised sod-banks beneath gorse hedges. The nests are built wiflj 

 soft clay, which apparently undergoes some process of refinement by 

 the wasps during their elaboration. The wasps appear here about 

 the middle of November, and until the middle of January may 

 occasionally be seen hunting vigorously for then* prey about gorse 

 hedges, and clumps of young Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium). 

 The motions of the wasps when in search of spiders are rapid and 

 wary. When hunting on the ground they run and leap a few paces 

 alternately — the antennae and wings meanwhile quivering rapidly. 

 Although I have never observed a wasp seize a spider when running 

 over the low herbage, I am inclined to think that they are in search 

 of spiders that inhabit or conceal themselves in such situations. 

 When the wasps are hunting in gorse hedges, it is remarkable how 

 swiftly they move through or over the j)lants, stopping suddenly at 

 intervals, and remaining motionless for a few seconds, as if hstening 

 cautiously for sounds or movements of then." prey. I have never seen 

 a wasp actually seize and kill a spider, but I have on several oc-c-asions 

 seen them dragging the insensible and dead spiders to then 

 If the spider is a large one, the wasp walks backwards draggi-__ it 

 along by a succession of jerks. They sometimes mutilate the spiders 

 before plastering them up in the egg cells, as 1 have found i2ie 

 mutilated limbs of several spiders in different cells.T According to 



* Lately named for me by Mr. Govec, of the Otago Education Departme: - 



+ In a paper " On New 3 : New Zealand Aranere" (Trans. "S.Z. Institute, 



vol. XXII., p. 269) Mr. Goyen mentions tie difficulty of capturing swifi ... 



long-limbed spiders intact. It is possible that the was - . - . :-, may 



occasionally detach a limb in the struggle, without succeeding in stinging - 

 which may sometimes account for the presence of their limbs in serf lin sells. 



