The morning news., 1899-02-21
THE 1NTELLIGENcE OF wAsPs.
Discussed by DIR. DimmOck Before
the Geological Club.
From the Springfield Republican.

Discussed by DIR. D1mmOck Before
the Geological Club.
From the Springfield Republican.
The habits of the solitary wasps was the
subject for discussion at yesterdays meet
ing of the geological club. DR.. Dimmock
gave an extended review of an important
book on that subject that has lately ap
peared under the auspices of the Wiscon-
sin geological and natural history society,
and which relates in a most interesting
manner results of observations and eXper-
iments made upon these insects by Mr.. and
Mrs George w. Peckham, who are au-
thorities on the habits of spiders and
wasps. Mr.. Peckham is superintendent of
schools in Milwaukee. II has been well
known for years that these solitary wasps,
of which the mud-dauber that makes its
earthen nests in our old attics is a COM
mon form, store their cells with other in
sects, upon which an egg is deposited in
each cell The mother wasp in most spe-
cies then closes the cell. The egg matches
in a few days, and the larva or grub which
it discloses grows rapidly, feeding upon
its stored provision, and finally spins its
cocoon out of which an adult wasp
emerges either the same season or the
following spring. Some of these solitary
wasps build subterrauean nests in burrows
which they dig for the purpose, some
make mud cells on twigs or bushes, and
some bore into wood to remove the pith
from stems in order to find nesting places.
AS their nest-building differs according to
species equally varied is the food with
which they provision their nests, each
form preying upon special kinds of in
sects Flies, gnats, caterpillars, plant-lice,
bugs, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles-all
are seized and packed away as larval food
by one or more species of these useful
wasps.
Soldiers are stored by many species, our
mud-dauber, among them, and one kind
of wasp is especially termed the tarantua-
killer from this habit These spiders may
be found oftentimes in a relaxed semi
torpid condition in the nests of mud-daub-
ers. and it has been generally supposed
that they were purposely paralyzed by be-
ing carefully stung by the wasps, in or
der that they might remain in a state of
suspended animation and furnish fresh
food for the wasp larvae. Much has been
written concerning the exact manner in
which wasps do this singing, and Ro-
names and other high authorities on ami
NAL instinct have given it careful con-
sderation. Peckham now proves that the
wasp larvae are quite indifferent as to the
freshness or to the decayed condition of
their food, and that the mother wasp
stings her prey only to render the vic
tim motionless so that she may carry IL
easier to her nest, or so that her egg may
rest safely and undisturbed upon it. In
some cases the spider revives from the eff
fects of her sting, only to find himself a
living occupant of too narrow tomb to
permit of motion; In other cases where
large spiders are used single one in
each cell, the legs are bitten off 50 that
the bodies may be conveniently stored
away OF course, different species OF
wasps have different habits, and Peck
hams work contains results of an immense
number of observations, leading in gem
seraf not to the destruction of theories, but
rather to their more accurate delimitation,
Cleanliness, sleeping habits, industry
modes of offense and defense, are all
carefully investigated for many species.
A most important subject experimental
on is how wasps are able to return and
find their nests, or the prey which they
often leave on the ground, or hung upon
stems of small plants while at work on
their nests. Peckham writes: "These ex-
periments served TO show that the insects
returned to their homes unless they had
been taken so far away that the overlook
ed country, as they circled higher and
higher, presented no familiar object to
homing instinct being dependent on sight
alone agrees with the views now held by
trainers of carrier pigeons, and by ex-
perenced students of bees. The most
wonderful of all of Peckhams ooserva-
tions relates to the use of a SELECTED pep
BILE, which a species of slender wasp be-
longing to the genus Ammophila takes in
her jaws or mandibes and employs as
tool 10 pound down and smooth over the
soil which she has replaced in her burrow
to conceal her nest. Peckham is the, sec
ond observer who has seen Ammophila
actually use a pebble for this purpose the
first publication of this curious fact hav-
ing been made in 1892 by Prof. S. W. Will
iiston of the University of Kansas. Willis
ION and Peckham are both careful observ-
ers, and there remains not a shadow Of
doubt that one of the higher insects makes
use of a simple tool-an attribute once sup
posed to pertain to man alone. Peckham's
book also discusses quite aptly. and in a
way impossible to condense in an abstract.
the question of how far instinct and rea-
son, respectively, govern the actions of
Wasps.