292 NATURE’S CRAFTSMEN 
she was disposed to give him all in her power. 
And so, not satisfied with her lance work, per¬ 
haps fearing that the anesthetic administered 
would not prove sufficient, she seized the crea¬ 
ture’s head and began squeezing and pommeling 
it with her strong jaws. But she worked with 
care, pausing every now and then to note the 
effect. It was desirable to subdue the brain, but 
it wouldn’t do to go too far. Death would re¬ 
sult, and the worm thus be unfitted for her pur¬ 
poses. 
At last the wasp seemed satisfied with her sur¬ 
geon’s skill. Desisting in her efforts, she grasped 
her victim by the cuff of his neck and began haul¬ 
ing him toward her burrow. This was no easy 
task. Though limp and resistless, the creature 
was awkward and ungainly, catching on every 
obstruction, and proving exceedingly hard to 
manage. At length the immediate neighborhood 
was reached, and now a new problem presented 
itself, which Max was quick to voice: 
“ How is she going to know which one of the 
many pebbles lying about covers her door? I 
couldn’t tell to save my life! ” 
“ Search me! ” Uncle John returned, using the 
boys’ slang. “ But she knows all right.” 
This was plainly apparent. Without an in¬ 
stant’s hesitation, Mrs. Hairy walked straight up 
to a “ stone,” and rolled it to one side. Then, 
