52 
Psyche 
[Vol. 91 
(14° F) in December, 1962, and —7.8° C (18° F) in February, 1958. 
Mean daily maximum temperature during the summer was under 
32.2° C (90° F), only 49 days per year having a maximum of 32.2° C 
or above. The highest recorded temperature was 38.9° C (102° F) in 
June, 1950. 
The purpose of this paper is to report the general nesting biology 
and defensive behaviors of M. m. cubicola at Sapelo Island. 
Materials and Methods 
Four trips were made to Sapelo Island (fall of 1982; late winter- 
early spring, 1983; June 9-12, 1983, August 23-30, 1983), one to 
Patterson Island, Ga. (adjacent to Sapelo) (June 11, 1983), one to 
Orlando, Polk County, Fla. (Aug. 7, 1983) and one to Haines City, 
Polk County, Fla. (Aug. 5-8, 1983). Two of the trips to Sapelo 
Island were preliminary surveys of the island while the later trips to 
Sapelo and the other three study areas revealed nests in various 
stages of development. 
When an active nest was found, an attempt was made to provoke 
adults to defend by prodding them with the tip of a pen or 
comparable instrument. Defensive behaviors were video taped 
(Hitachi VT-650A VTR and VK-C600 color camera) during August 
so that they could be examined closely and repeatedly. Due to their 
readiness to escape under provocation in the early nesting season 
(June), some adults were lost. Following a study of their defensive 
behaviors, the nest and remaining adults were taken. 
Nest contents and information on attending adults were later 
recorded. A comparison between paper surfaces of young and older 
nests was made through the use of scanning electron microscopy. 
Parts of nests were removed and adhered to specimen stubs with 
double-stick tape. They were coated with palladium-gold for 2 
minutes in a Hummer sputter coater and observed with a 
Cambridge Mark II scanning electron microscope. 
Results and Discussion 
Nesting Sites 
Nests of M. m. cubicola were found on buildings, other man- 
made structures and on vegetation. Nests on the former were most 
often found on the wooden frames of windows, on the wooden 
support beams of metal roofed outbuildings and on the underside of 
