Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-11-28
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SPIDER-HUNTING WASPS.

Florida Naturalist Captures One That
Was Two tx6fss Long.
Not long since, while was enjoying
q siesta on the ponch, my attention was
suddenly attracted sbyi seeing very
large spider running up the body of q
tree about ten feet away. The spider
seemed to be very much excited, and,
after he had run up the body of the
tree about six feet, he raa 0uton side
limb, and. after he had gone about
eight feet out on this limb, he
dropped off to the ground. No
sooner had he struck the ground
than he commenced a headlong fight
through the grass of the lawn. After
he had run about five feet on the ground
saw very large wasp. about two
inches long. following the track of the
spider on the tree. The wasp was
running and tapping his wings in a
nervous manner. but was not flying at
all. In a few minutes the wasp arrived
at the spot where the spider had
dropped of. which, by the way. was
about ten feet from the ground. Here
the wasp became very much excited,
and ran rapidly back and forth for
about minute. Then he took fight,
flew to the root of the tree. where
I saw him at first. and ran up
the track again. Soon he arrived at
the jumpingof place. and again be-
came very excited, running round and
round, and tapping his wings nerv-
Qpsly. Suddenly the wasp stopped,
and appeared to be thinking. Ger
tainly his actions bore out this con-
clusion. for he closed his wings and
dropped off the limb, just where the
spider had drbpped::" Arriving at the
ground he recommended the search,
and, after a few futile attempts, he
struck the scent, and away he went.
just exactly as a hound would have
followed deer. After running about
ten feet on the ground he overlook his
prey.
The spider either saw or heard his
enemy coming, for without waiting to
be overtaken. he threw himself upon
his back, with his feet in the air, and
in thiy' posture awaited the attack.
The wasp lost no time in beginning,
but, to my surprise, seemed to be
somewhat afraid of the spider. The
wasp took to his wings, and would fly
round and round the spider. and
would now and then make a sudden
thrust at him. The spider would. at
these times. jump forward and seemed
to be trying to catch the wasp. The
wasp was too agile, however, to De
caught. Suddenly the wasp made an
attack. stung: the; spider. and in less
than half a second the spider was per-
fectly dead. Electricity could not
have killed him quicker. The wasp,
after satisfying himself that his prey
was dead, sat on the grass near by and
proceeded to rest himself. for his viO-
lent efforts had exhausted him. After
resting about two minutes he ap-
preached the spider, and, after exam
lining him critically with his antenna,
straddled him and proceeded to bear
him away.
just here put in a say-so, and cap
tured wasp and spider, and inundated
both to my scientific curiosity. This
occurrence would seem to show that
the wasp can track by smell, and can
likewise reason. else why did he drop
from the limb? lregret to say that
neglected to keep the spider and OBJ
serve whether he had been really
killed. or only put into the lethargic
condition into whi ch our dirt daubers
put their spiders.
l am not versed in entomology suf-
ficiently to give the technical names of
either wasp or spider. The spider was
very large. his abdomen being about
half an inch long.-Florida Cor. Popu-
lar Science News.