The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-15
THE DUEL OF THE YELLOW JACKETS.
BY Charles G. D. Roberts.

branch Thru
the tent flap between the trunks of three white brches
the blue lake spared sharply in the afternoon sun On two
upturned boxes which formed table, stood
the dinner things, unwashed. 1t day in camp for
washing dishes and "gng the red up as the New
Brunswick vernacuar would have put it, and two camp
comrades having eaten and smoked to their hearts con-
tent had to throw lazy fly and leave me to
duties.
But too drowsy warm sunny luxurious
in the tent duties appeal lay back the blankets
let my pipe go out and allowed my book to drop from my
hand There occupation enough watching the wasps
hunting flies the white roof above my head
For three days tent had been pitched in this one spot
and both flies had discovered The flies buzzed
everywhere with sound that seemed the very
voice of the warmth and sunt quiet They seemed to have
nothing to do but themselves One other thing they
had to do and that thing urgent They had to avoid
the
The not in the tent for the sake of amusing
themselves by There were three or four of
them, bigger the ordinary yellow jacket and with
heavier, hum. They belonged to or
other of the solitary Species but whether carpenters mud
investigation than
make Each strenuously intent upon
her business, which that Of catching flies
patient watching I in identifying
of these big She slightly larger than the
others, and of her wings marked either by time strife
whenever with her loud alarming hun she sail
ing back into the tent.
thing she invariably fly slowly about
half the length of the ridge POLE then like lightning
fly sharp against golden
Almost invariably she would miss her first pounce
terrified would away the would
main the angy twtching her anennae Presently
she would her hunting flight Her sight apparently
discriminating it might have been.
There black spot the about the size of
good fat fly and this she bounced triumphanty again
and again She always caught it. She would forget the
cheat between trips to speak And always the sharp haste
with which she would Elusive spot and
circle three before making
other effort, filled with laughter.
But the big in the tent than two
three minutes without making capture Sometimes she
struck her victim on the wing Sometimes the black spot on
the turned to be fly after ALL and failed to
dodge Once caught, there uncertainty. Sc
lecting spot-a poles
of biscuit box and knee she would
the victim for its strange and hdeous DOOM One delicate
acty calculated touch OF her stlng-not thrust wh1ch
would destroy instantly thunderbolt but merely
infnitesmal scratch-and the fly thrown into sort
calepsy from which it could neither
by death Then rolling and between her front
pair of legs deity squirrel rolls NUT her strong jaws
clipped it's legs wings, it into
living Cluching
body she would fly off thru the tent door with
that hrdenad eisht in rer To es tho fbe f.t f the
fly. Somewhere at hand, knew, the equip
her If, concluded to be the
carpenter she flew slim hole in dead trunk old
fence post, neatly Ter body IN
carefully deposit the living but helpless
her eggs upon it. and seal up the cell with film Of chewed
fibre. egg a hungry
grub it would find its living banquet spread for jus cal
cell, ready go the magic sleep which
should perfect The thought of that dis
embered fv stored away in it's trance to await the laws
grub, failed a
petty Nature, it peculiarly
wanton mood wnen she devised so atrocous means to
ordinary
there other in the tent besides those
Jackets discovered the dry
white, granulaed evidently much their
They seemingly in the best Of humor perhaps under
standing of the
good manners. watching the fyhunting
untidy yell
low jackets.
After obeyng a mischievous impulse, I poured
a handful of the yellow jacket who
that moment had the bowl all herself There
angry squeak sugar
with the prisoners struggles.
the excessively
wasp, knew she had good right to be- AS her
M wing would
m author of the insult.
scapegoat at hand Just at the instant
prisoner, with buzzing squeak emerged
the another yellow jacket hungry
alighted beside her This, hastily
cuprft and instantly hoped her The
completely by surprise rolled her back
evidently quite
and in moment the two rolling and the
top grappled biting furiousy
each others legs wings.
neither made motion to sting In fact their
kept carefully the way 1t a fair
legs jaws.
that sprawling and jerking mixup it course,
impossible for distinguish the
the ThereW nor of