Evening star., 1897-02-20

wondering what else I could do before the
others got back from trout fishing and
sketchins. Then 1 noticed some wasps
feeding on the bits of maple sugar that 1
mad dropped. Without any definite purpose
in view. got out pin and, carefully pois-
ing it, 1 made jab and stuck 1t through
the thorax of one of the wasps. l cut off a
bit Of birch bark from the big pieces that
thatched our camp shelter. and pinned him
to 1t. Then, with my pocketknife stole
Gron another wasp. ana, catching him at
the slender part, between his thorax and
abdomen. l cut him in two parts. Then
attacked third wasp and cut his head off.
Turning to my first victim, l was sur
prised to find that he had rot abandoned
the bit of maple sugar that he was eating
when stuck the pin through him; he was
still eating it, apparently not at all dis
turbed by the pin through his body. I
looked for the other wasps which had
fallen under my knife. l found the one
that had lost his head walking around full
of life, but could not find the head. The
other wasp that had lost his abdominal
part was also full of life. He tried to fly
away when l put my fingers down to catch
him, evidently not knowing that he had
lost pretty nearly half his weight and was
all unbalanced. He rose in the air and
then wen. tumbling about like clown.
also found his severed abdomen. and Sc
cured it, but not without narrowly escap-
ing vicious thrust Of the sting, for the
abdomen, too, was alive.
The abdomen, the wasp that had lost
1t and the headless wasp. 1 confined to-
Eether in porous box which I made of
birch bark, and 1 concluded to watch them
all as well as the one l had secured with
the pin. had one more pin, and securing
another wasp, pinned him fast through
the thorax, and then cut his abdomen off
" hen his first struggles were over and he
seemed composed, L offered him crumb of
maple sugar. He accepted it and began to
eat II at once. Then a curious thing nap
Pened; 1t reminded me Of the story of
MEnchauSen ha ptu
city unatded. He rode forward al the head
OF his troop as will be remembered and
rushed through the open gate. and then,
SuppoSing that his men We're behind him
spurred forward and fought until the enc
my were either all dead or subdued. Then.
stopping tC give his horse some wafer he
neard peculiar sound behind him and
twisting himself in the saddle found that
his horse had been cut in two lust hack
OF the saddle by the falling portcuilis and
tHat the water was pouring out of his
ncrses body as fast as the horse took 1t
INTO MS mouth. So with the wasp. As he
mad no abdomen the sugar dissolved nv
the juices Of the wasp's mouth, ga thered in
brownish globule at the severed place
ana drled there The wasp, however, gave
evidences that he was greatly enioying his
meal of maple sugar
he wasp without a head was the onIy
one that seemed in a pitiable condi,ion
ne ne was Just as full Of life as the others
put II was evident that he had no object
In me- He moved about without object
and was like piece of machinery.
we stayed in that camp four DAYS
longer, and when we left 1t l had 10
abandon my wasps, but up to the last mo.
@ @Lieht every one OF them was alive and the
severed abdomen of the one would thrust
forth Its sting if touched"
-, Well!' the Jerseyman's wife exclaimed
.oW low am to Kill the horrid things then ?"
:, on. they will die finally if you cut them
ana wv, % out you mad better let them live
anu s,i;T merely merely turn them out of doors. They
VIII help you kill off the flies.
.. AS dor the flies they are sometimes EASY
~ ~ hiii and sometimes not. 1t depends
Upon now you try to do it. You can suc-
lieu WIN poison, as you do. or they viii
tr uIe Ieadlly In a confined space, but don't
try ry 10 XIII them by drowning. 1t is an old
sllck' 10 Keep fly in water for twenty
lour nours and then take him out in the
sohhshlne. cover him with teaspoonfu1 Of
i .apie sait and await results In about five
minutes the salt will become agitated and
then the fly will emerge, full of life shaLa
OH the salt and fly away"