The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-21
DOORSTEP SEIeHsoRs.
A Sketch By the Late William Har,ii-
ton Gibson.

s-aes S saksa:
As took nv seat uron she doorstep
starred Into AixAs q Dsx black wasp. 50 -
whose GeingS haf evalentlv been fnsroS-
INK Iais wasp mas about an lach -
length Its wi7ws were psle brown ara
- eesy 3~E black. witA -nndrv small yei-
Aos'sh spots en- the shcrsx hut is
most censeiraczs feature. anf ore waicA
won's ever fsx tAe lserf}tv a. re creature.
Mas the long. slender. wsre-iiks waist. oc-
clsnx ing quarter q tie length Of IS en-
tire hc9x.
II a moment 81 two ~ wz<r Aaa ~
teraed and stecd ne tne mouth % the
shaaew rlf. Ewing me- iasrntiv 20
space. and satisfied thas there was moth
iny 20 fear. she dlvea into TIE hollow
@a1 1~sAn 90 exraNafe. forming round srt
round As she k.awsa the earth at fAe
eotsosa, and shovs,ing if cut with her
spiSe1 legs New and thsn she waaiE
PACK oct o. The barrow % recannciter.
ana Der alert attitude az such times was
very &1lsing--hsr artenuae drcopfns to
wari TIE Barrow ana In irrs~rnnf mo-
Loa; ire abdomen on SIS long w1fe stem
eeohinr ~ and down at regular Intervals.
~eeozipAnied BY a Tipping motion 81 the
~AhsSs he short fore legs cne or both
upra4set with courczi eject.
IS the tunnel WAS seepenea a rev
nethcd % excavation was sr,rlov.i Il,
las now reaches a afrfh ~ an inch. oniv
tas extremity n the Insects hofy appear
IS. am ne tive hinecrrnost legs cllnxinK
- - surrounding earth for purchase. TIE
otep agSing = row accompanied ny a
continual huzzlnw SOUND. re@rr,hffnx shat
pfe1pced By a biuebostle ~ he1a rartlve
st"een ones fingers AZ intervals o.
aeoes ten Or ffteen seconds the WASH
would quickly back out OF TIA harrow
oriastng a load % sand whi-h n hsis
between the back OF the Jaws ana its
moray, sustained az the Sides BY The two
appraised fore legs After a moments
pause with this burden. The Insect wouli
make sudden short aArttux nirht ~
foot or more IN quick circuit. hurIInx ,hs
Sana yard or more distant from the
oarrow. At the end % about fifteen min
utes me burrow was sunk 70 the dNpth
OF al inch ana n half the WASH entirely
oisappearing. ana Indicated only by the
continuous burxinE.
~ this tire the luncheon hour ha,-sn-
arrived. I was obliged 70 PAUSE in nv in
Nesugaiions, and. IN order To he shle ~
, ,o'7ate me ouTrow in The event OF ifs OBJ
t'sl1t,on ~ The wasp before my return,
! s'1afched circle IN the hard dirt. enc
noe AeingNt ITS exact center.
pom my return an hour later wa.
met with surprise. The WAYS OF The
1i9ger-waspS OF various species wer~ ga
'niliar. bar now noted a feature Of wasg,-
engineering which indeed seams 20 awFa{s
It's ehFonie.er. az find no mention OF II
by the wasp historians.
Al me exact center Of ny circle. IN
place or cavity. nov found a tiny nlie
or stones. supported ipon a small stick
and fragment OF leaf. which had beer nrxt
drawn across the opening.
This was evidently mere Temporary
profession % the hurrow, 7 reasoned.
while the digger had departed IN search
OF prvy. and nay surua.se was soon proved
% Re correct. as I observed the wasn.
with bonbng abdomen and Tipping wings.
zigzaEgtnr about the vicinity. Presently
disappearing beneath a small plalnsain
leaf. she quickly emerged. drawing he
hind her not a wriaer hBt a big green
caterpillar. nearly double her own length.
and as large around as a slate penrii-a
peculiar. punSent. waspv-seentea species
or rsiSs-fnoth' 3arva. which IL found on
the EN-. and with which chaacea TO be
familiar.
The victim being now ready FOR burial.
the wasp sexton proceeded TO Omen the
tomb. SEEKING ono stone after another in
her widely opened Jaws. they were scat
tered right and left. when, with apparent
ease and prompt dispatch. the iIzfiess larva
was drawn toward the hnrrow. into whose
depths be soon disappeared. Then. after
a saort and suggestive Interval. followed
the eEnerEence % the wRkn. and the
prompt filing in OF the requisite earth n
level the cavity. much az already DE-
acrlbed. after whirh the wasp took wing
ana disappeared. presumably bent nnon a
repetition of The performances elsewhere.
BUT she had not simply buried this cater
pillar victim. nor was the casarpiliar
dad she4a
truth living tnmhs. whose apparently dcad
inmates ars simply sIeeninr, narrofiras
BY the venom az the wasp sting. rrs th4,.
designed % AFFORD fresh living food FOR
the young wasp grub, into whose vors-
clous care they are committed.
BY inserting my knife-biade deep iate
the SOL In the neighborhood ~ this bur
row I readily unearthed the buried cater.
pillar, and disclosed the orafucuw ee- -
the wasp firmly innheasss IN ifs body
The hungry iarva which hntches from this
egg soon reaches maturity upon The All.
sufficient food thus stored ani hrgsr~
many weeks - transformed 10 the gSgl-
aedged, lena-waisted wasp Ike its parent
The disproportion in the sizes OF the
predatory wasps and their insect prey IN
indeed astonishing. The great sand-har-
net selects for rs most frequent victim
The burning cIcada. or harvest rs. su In
sect much larger than ITSELF and which
Il carries OF 20 It's long sand tunnels hy
short fights from successive elevated
points. such is the limbs sf trees and sum
'nitg Of rocks. 10 which Il repeatedly lurs
It's clumsy prey. In the present instance
tho contrast between the light body OF
the wasp and the plump dimensions OF
the caterpillar was even more marked
and I determined 20 ascertain the proper
tfonate weight OF victor ara victim rop-
strueting q tiny pair % balances with 8
dead grass stalk. thread ard two clsks ~
paper. I weighed the wasp using small
square pieces ~ paper Of equal Size as my
weights I found that the wasp exactly
balanced four Of the pieces. Removing
the wasp and substituting the caterpillar
7 proceeded 70 add Piece after rfee~ ~ Inc
paper squares untn had reached n total
o. twenty-eight or seven tirnes ths num-
Der required BY the wasp. before the scales
balanced. Eiu1ilar expsyfrnenfs with th@
tiny black wasp and rs spider vi~tim
showed precisely the same proportion.
and the ratio was once increased eight 10
an@ IN "a. instance ~ another species %
slender auxe-ana- black bodied digger
which I subsequently f0uuf tngring 90
caterpillar prey upon my doorstep patch.
The peculiar feature % the rilinw OF
stones above the conuniete5 hurFow waa
not a mere individual accomplishment ~
nv wlre-E a!Sfes wasp. on several oc-
rasions since I have ohservsi TIE sanne
naneuver which n Doubtless The r~rr1-
Isr f-oe~fure with fhis and other species
The smaller cranxs-spotfod wasp fmst ni-
'ude1 % Indicated % re fhe location -
her den ~ pauAirT suEKrativeiv il front
- a tiny cHirn. n his instance a email
Cat stone. considerably larger than ths
tunnel. had ben latd over the opening ard
she others PILED uDGn g. On two CO.
-sstans have surprised this same species
u wasp indusiriously engaged IN IN. &C.
's~fian 81 = suitable nat founfa zion stone
with which 20 cover her burrsws her
1iHeiy exffns-d slender Jaws enable her
10 grasp pebble nearly a thiFd Of ara
inch IN width.