Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-12-07
SHEPHERDSTOWN W. FRIDAY, DECEMBER Z, 1885,
with well-smoothed walls and floor and

ceiling.
And now she goes for her prey. This
time it is a grasshopper which is need
ed for the grub, and, as some unwary
little chirper is singing his song, he is
pounced upon by his small but terri
bic enemy.
There is struggle as the two roll
over and over. now one now the other
on the top. but at last the wasp con-
quers and the grasshopper lies upon
his back
Then follows curious operation.
Turning her head to the grasshoppers
tail the wasp seizes the end of his alb
domen with her mandibles and holds
il fast, while with her feet she keeps
his legs down. Then bending her slim
waist so as to bring her sting under
her she gives three stabs, one in the
neck of her victim, one further back
between the first and second pair of
legs and the third still nearer TO his
abdomen.
In amoment it is done and the grass
hopper resists no more, though his
body still heaves slowly and his legs
move vaguely and feebly. The wasp
then smoothes her ruffled wings, and
prepares to carry him away.
Pressing her body against his she
clasps him firmly with her legs, and
soaring into the air with Il victim far
heavier than herself flies straight TO
her chamber. Here she lays him down
outside and runs in to see that no
harm has happened in her absence,
for she has left the door open. Then
she returns, and putting her head out
seizes him by the antenn9 and drags
him in.
Once safe in the chamber she places
herself upon him, and lays her sticky
egg upon his thorax where the grub
may safely begin TO eat as soon as he
is Matched. Nor is her work yet fin
ished. A second, third, and some
times even a fourth time she makes
the same journey, bringing each time
a grasshopper stabbed with three
blows, and placing them all in the cell
closes it up safely.
But she does not leave the gallery.
Side by side with this cell she now be-
gins another, and only when four
chambers are made and supplied each
with an egg and food for the grub
when Matched, does she come out and
close the gallery.
Now what has she done? 1t will be,
at least, three or four days before the
first egg will hatch, and ten or twelve
days more before the grub has fin
ished eating three or four grasshop-
pers
But long before this, if the grass
hoppers were dead they would have
become dry and iuiceless in a warm
place and rotten and dputrid in damp
one, so that the grub could not eat
them. But they are not dead.
Fabre, French entOmologist, who
spent years in studying these insects,
found that after month and half
these strong grasshoppers are still
fresh and their limbs are flexible.
Nay! for more than fortnight their
antenne and legs may often be seen
to move.
Paralyzed throughout and thrown
into profound unconsciousness, yet
the prey is living still, so that the lar
va from the time when it first comes
out of the egg, till its last meal before
it spins its cocoon, has fresh and liv-
ing meat prepared for its table.
Here is indeed marvel and by i'm
itating it NJ. Fabre found out how it
is done. By taking a metal pen, with
ammonia upon it, making a corrosive
liquid, and pricking the grasshopper
in the three spots chosen by the SpheX
for her sting, he was able to paraIyze
the insect as she had done.
For this clever little insect stings eX-
actly in the three places where under
the grasshopper's body gathered the
centers of nerve matter from which
the nerves spring. In this way she
completely disables her victim, while
her stabs are just OF the right strength
to paralyze but not to kill. NJ. Fabre
found that if the operation was care
lessly performed. the insect died. yet
so far as he could discover no Sphex
ever by mistake kills her prey.
One more fact, and our wonder at
the skill and instinct Of these creatures
reaches its height The Spher Ian
guedocien, which is rather larger than
the yellow winged Sphex Of which we
have been speaking, kills good-sized
locust for her grub, and stores only
one in each cell. Now as this victim
is very large compared TO herself she
can not fly with it, so she catches 1t
first, and afterwards eXcavates her
chamber near Then she has to drag
him into it by his antenna, and as he
is large and strong, his legs and man
dibIes still moving after he is stung are
very dangerous TO her.
Yet probably if she stung him more
he might die, for this is not how she
gets out Of the difficulty. Getting
astride him, she presses his neck till
the joints open, and then with firm
stroke Of her mandibles she presses
upon the collar of nerve matter col
ter collected round the throat.
In an instant her prey becomes quieti
she has stunned the locust, and pro-
duced the same effect as blow onthe
brain does TO a man, and this lasts for
some time. But it does not kill, nor
even permanently injure the nerve
ganglia, for NJ. Fabre found that af-