THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 121 
The wasp paused, wiped her face with her forefeet, 
combing her antennae, rubbing the hind legs over her 
body, smoothing her wings,; in fact, freshening herself 
up generally after the struggle. Just then another big 
spider suddenly appeared, and she dashed after it, for- 
getful of her stunned prey; but the new spider bounded 
right across a path and was lost in a border of violets. 
While the wasp was chasing the second spider another 
Pompilid wasp flew by and found the helpless stunned 
spider; and a battle had to be fought between the two 
Pompilids for its ownership, the first huntress winning it 
back. 
Then she started to carry the booty home. She caught 
the spider firmly by the head, walking backwards and 
dragging it along. Never once did she look behind her 
as she descended the steep bank; and backing surely and 
swiftly, she hurried along an asphalt pathway leading to 
the back of the house and away from the lawn. Then 
over a garden bed she backed, all in one long straight 
line, while we followed slowly, wondering how far she 
would lead us till she found her burrow. A jasmine- 
covered lattice divided the garden from a grape-trellised 
asphalt court, but this gave her no pause whatever. 
Through the close lattice she felt her way backwards with 
her long legs, as if, indeed, they might have had eyes; 
then, on over the asphalt court she hurried, still in a 
straight line, but at a slight angle to the line on lawn 
side of the lattice. More slowly she dragged her prey 
over a strawberry bed; and quite heavily she made her 
way over the uncut dense buffalo grass beyond. There 
she made her first pause—maybe the entomologist and I 
scared her as we followed and peered so closely. But only 
for a few seconds did she dawdle; then off again, always so 
very sure of her way that she never even looked behind 
to see if her direction was right. Past the tomato beds 
she backed, over grass and weeds, right down to the wood- 
shed, until we wondered whether she would lead us beyond 
our own fence. Near the shed she hesitated, hunted round 
a little space, and then, in a flash, she disappeared down 
a hole among the chips, dragging the big helpless, alive 
but paralysed spider after her. 
Pop went our chloroform tube over the hole, and pre- 
sently we carefully set to work to open out the under- 
ground nursery which she was stocking with spiders, and 
upon which she had meant to leave her eggs, so that her 
erub babies might have fresh spider diet to thrive upon. 
