Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-12-29


heavier than herself dies 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 her door open. Then she re-
turns, and putting her head out seizes
him by tbs antenno 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 ID her work yet finished.
A second, Q third, and sometimes even
y fourth time she makes the same jour
ney, bringing each time 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 cham I
bers are made and supplied each with
an egg and food for the grub when |
hatched, does she come out and close
the gallery
Now what has she donee II will be.
at least, three or four days before the
first egg will hatch, and ten or twelve
days more before the grub has finished
eating the three or four grasshoppers
But long before this, II the grass
hoppers were dead they would have
become dry and juiceless in warm
place. and rotten and putrid in damp
one, 90 that the grub could not eat
them. But they are not dead.
Fabre, French entOm ologist, who
spent years In studying these insects,
found that after month and q half
these strong grasshoppers are still
fresh and their limbs are flexible. Nay!
for more than fortnight their an
tenna and legs may often be seen to
move.
Paralyzed throughout and thrown
into profound unconsciousness, yet the
prey is living still. 80 that the larva
from the time when it first comes out
Of the egg, till its last meal before it
spins its cocoon. has fresh and living
meat prepared for its table.
Here Is indeed q marvel! and by
initiating it M. Fabre found out how it
is done. By taking q metal pen. with
ammonia upon 1t. making corrosive
liquid. and pricking the grasshopper
in the three spots chosen by the Sphex
for her sting. he was able to paralyze
the insect as she had done.
For this clover little insect stings ex-
actly in the three places where under
the grasshopper's body are 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. M. Fabrs
found that If the operation was care
> lessly performed. the insect died. vel
= so far as he could discover, no Sphe1
, ever by mistake kills her prey.
/ One more fact. and our wonderat ths
!, skill and instinct of these creature.
. reaches its height. The Srher Ian
o guedocien, which is rather larger thar
the yellow winged Sphex Of which W,
. have been speaking. kills q good-sizet
l locust for her grub. and stores only on'
Q In each cell. Now as this victim il
8 very large compared to herself she ca,
n aot fly with it, so she catches it first
q and afterwards excavates her chamber
!. near. Then she has to drag him int,
!, it by his antennB, and as he Is larg'
q and strong. his legs and mandibles still
: moving after he is stung are very dan
Q yerous to her.
J, Yet probably II she stung him moe
It he might die. for this is not how sh
d gets out Of the difficulty. Getting
s astride him. she presses his neck til
the joints open, and then with q firn
e stroke of her mandibles she presse
,r upon the collar Of nerve matter collect
q ed round the throat.
IF In an instant her prey becomes quiet
q she has stunned the locust, and pro
y duced the same e feet Is q blow on tn
x brain does to q man. and this lasts 10
r some time. But 1t does not kill, no
X even permanently injure the nerv
ganglia, for M. Fabre found that aftel
le ward, when in the cell. the locust ha
ID recovered from the pressure, and hi
IL limos and mandibles moved as before
g Now we might imagine that all thi
1t movement would be dangerous to tn
le young and tender grub. and 80 it woul
el IL the careful mother had not place
er the egg upon the locust's thorax exac
n ly where no movement can touch l
10 and SO when the grub is hatched it ea'
at ease upon the spot most paralyze
IL until it has gained strength.
mt Nor Is it only the grub which profit
sp by this arrangement Much as "
or night admire the cleverness Of thet
er ,and-wasps in keeping their prey aliv'
I'd Jet it would be very horrible II "
could suppose that the grasshopper {
is the locust were suffering lingering to
d. lures. But, on tho contrary. the vel
y parts attacked and paralyzed are tt
Is nerves, tho parts that feel. and just I
le q patient under chloroform has h
nerve-centers for the time deadene'
Ill so that though he may struggle und'
er the hands Of the surgeon yet he know
n nothing Of 1t, 30 the grasshOppe
On feebly moving his legs. can not be SUI
posed to feel the bite Of his destroye
n. who begins his meal upon that vel
g part most strongly psralyzed and
b. he feeds destroys still more surely th
ds power Of suffering.
ps Such 10 the history Of the meat-pr
i'm serving sand-wasps. and yet 1t 10 nj
er half told. For tho Sphex is only OF