Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-05-21
An Insect Duel.
FIGHT TO DEATH BETWEEN A VASE
AND A SPIDER.

saw wonderful exhibition OF
the bravery of insects while 1 was
on my vacation this summer" said
the professor, terthecoffee had been
brought on and the cigars had been
lighted. " spent my holidays camp.
ing out" he continued, "and the
sight to which / refer was fight tC
tho death between a wasp and q
spider.
Soon after my tent was pitched |
awoke one morning and heard buzz
Ing sound in the peak of my canvas
mousse. Looking up while still ly-
ing on my improvised bed, / saw q
wasp building his mud house on the
tent pole. Several times he went
out and returned few minutes
later with his load of clay, which
very soon formed another section of
his abode,
The next morning, at just about
sunrise, 1 heard the buzzing again,
but it seemed to have increased i'm
volume. Glancing up again, soon
saw the reason. A big spider had
spun web completely across the
corner of the tent, shutting the half
finished home ofthe wasp off, so that
itcould not be reached except by pass
ing through the web. The spider
was an ugly-looking black fellow,
and he stood on guard watching the
movements of the wasp. The latter
flew backward and forward looking
for an opening to his domicile. Then
he remained still in the air for q sec.
ond or two, as if taking general
situation, Finally he alIghted on
the tent within an inch or so of the
web, and seemed to be making up his
mind what to do next.
BY this time l had become Inter-
ested, and wondered what his plan
of action would be. While l was
still contemplating the two foes, the
wasp flew off the pole and directly
toward the spider, which had been
keenly watching him, and was evil
IDENTIFY ready for the fray, if there
was to be one. AS the wasp flew
past his enemy he curled the under
part of his body up, so that the part
containing the stinger would come
in close proximity to the spider.
The latter was evidently accus-
toned to such warfare, however,
because he got out of the way i'm a
twinkling. Maddened at his defeat,
the wasp took turn and went back
again. Once more the spider eluded
his venomous stinger, but at the same
time he appeared to be trying to bite
the wasp. The spider might have
retreated so far away from his web
fort that his enemy could not have
touched him until the obstruction
was broken down, but he evidently
did not intend to have his carefully
constructed tiytrap destroyed with
out struggle.
There were several skirmishes of
the kind already described, and then
the wasp again alighted on the tent
pole, as though reconnoitering and
getting breath for grand onslaught.
That this was exactly what he was
doing was proved by what followed
After remaining on the pole for a
few seconds, he flew off and poised
himself in the air foot or so below
the web. Then he darted directly
for the spider, and went completely
through the web at the exact spot
which had been occupied by the
spider a second before.
For on instant both combatants
were lost to view, and / heard the
battle raging in the peak Of the tent.
Before | had scarcely had a chance
to wonder which was getting the
better of it, both insects dropped to
the ground close to me. The spider
was holding fast to the wasp's head
with his small but effective mouth,
and the wasp was running his stinger
in and out of the SPIDERS body with
lightning-like rapidity. There was
short struggle on the ground, when
both insects began to grow weak
and their movements were less
rapid. Finally, they fell apart, but
neither moved. / examined them
both after watching them for few
seconds. The poison Of each had
done the work for the other, and
both were dead"
"WHALE BONE" began the
teacher, "is not bone at all -
4" WE'LL" broke in the bold, bad boy
"it isn't a whale, either, so what /: