Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-01-01

had become dry and hard, and it was not
! easy To do; but with care | got the con
! tents out unframed. No. had parti
! uon IN the center, making two chambers.
/ Each contained small grub, with n
| white transparent skin, about half AN inch
| long, and the size of a crow.quil In the
/ first were two spiders, and in the other
one partially eaten, There is no doubt
/ they were placed there rs food for the
/ young WaspS, for ON my putting the
already eaten one close To their mouths.
| they both lay hold of it with sucking
motion. No. cell contained the Young
IN a different stage 1t had slightly
ShrIyeled up, and was yellower than the
others. 1t also had a brownish outer skin
IKE that of chrysalis, bound round with
few silky webs resembling those of n
cocoon. There We're two spiders with il.
NO was tilled with twenty spiders, on
one of which | found a tiny oblonr trans.
parent eye, or more probably grub,
though could not make out the mouth,
aud all the Others we've the same, only
differing in the size of the grub, and the
number OF the spiders-the former in
creasin. as the latter lessened.
What puzzles me is how they get out
NlVu al tiNtd AT maturity, rs tntlf prison
is formed of such hard material. | can
understand how, from being almost mi.
croscopic they become large om ,,,- ,',ci
eating twenty sr;A---s, "o" lheV then be-
cnn,~- :. ,niy Sails, and lastly ful-grown
wasp but not how they break the strong
clay walls and get into the open air.
Most Of the spiders were of the common
home sort, all but three, and those had
never seen before, One was delicate
green, and | think the wasp must have
sharp eyes to distinguish il from the
grass A jet-black one, with yellow feel
ers, was very like a beetle in shape, and
the third had green front and yellow
ailcrpart, with "A red stripe running along
the back, Altogether | found it very in.
teresting. Since that | once lived in a
room that was not papered, but merely
painted over the plaster; and the wasps
came in in dozens. Two built nests like
the one have described, the others mere
ly bored round holes in the walls, in the
hard plaster, nearly, it not quite, an inch
deep. | never could quite clearly make
out what they did it Tor, but | believe
they were carrying the clay of which the
plaster was made to make nests with in
other places. Aiterward, in "A sugar mill,
| saw the walls similarly pierced
Talking OF wasps, brings up the sub
lect OF honey. | believe IL is not general
" known that in the interior of Africa
there is n small fly that makes honey in
large quantities, as good, If not better,
than that of the bee. | have often eaten
II while shooting. This little ily bores Il
minute hole in the earth eighteen to TWEEN
ty-iour inches deep, which it lines with
clay 1t then forms round lump MS
large as u turnip, the shell being of hard
earth or clay bound together with some
sticky substance, and the inside pure
honey. It's very LIQUID, and has Il slight
ly acid taste, and, though rather difficult
To eat without getting any earth in ones
mouth, is capital, and well worth the
trouble OF digging up. The place is found,
like bees nest, by seeing the fly alight
and go down the mouth of the little hole,
and 1t is curious that the honey bird never
leads one To it.
what resembles our water wagtail follows
and pcrsccutes any human being il may
see until it gets them to follow is one Of
the most curious things in natural his
tory. 1t makes sharp Ghitter, fitting in
'front.' from tree To tree, coming back cv-
cry now and then TO see that YOU are
going in the right direction until you get
into the neighborhoOd of the pest, when,
after telling you, by slight change in
its dcmeanor, that You are close To the
spot, it flies of to a neigh boring tree, and
watches your operations. Failing bees
nest, it may take you TO anything unusual
it may see--a large snake, tiger, or even
human being Game in much hunted
districts learn 10 connect the chittcr OF
this bird with the presence of man, and
keep sharp lookout when they hear it,
LdHd ami Water