Year: 1875

New Orleans Co operative News.


Not long since while reading beneath


the shade OF fig tree, our attention was


attracted by peculiar loud and shrill


buzzing sound, as Of some one of the


bee family in distress. Looking in the


direction of the noise We observed quite


close to us a dirtdauber, OF builder, one


of the species of wasps so we'll known


for their cylindrical ssses of mud il


builds under the caves and on sheltered


walls, which it stuffs full of certain


worms and spiders for its young. This


wasp had half Of Its body and head down


the. hole of the equally well.known doo-


dlebug, a worm which children pull out


of their holes by teasing them with a
straw until they gtastit with their strong


nippers and hold on until they are


thrown out. 1t was evident at glance


that the wasp had gone down the hole


of the~dOodlebug, and that the doodle


bug soon had him in his strong grip at
great disadvantage, and where the wings


ofthe wasp were ofno advantage to him
except to make fioise which might
alarm his adversary. The contest
lasted full ten minutes, when finally the
dirtdauber came out with a jerk. He


flew but few inches from the hole, lit
upon the ground, rubbed his head, and
fairly danced with pain.


In few minutes he recovered from
The effects of his wounds and began max
ing short circles over the hole, evidently
reconnoitering and laying his plans.
Presently lighting at the mouth Of the
hole, he tried the earth all about the en-
trance with the skill of an engineer, and
selecting that which was driest he began
to scratch like dog with his fore feet,
throwing the dust rapidly back into the
hole. We watched with intense interest.
and conld not but admire his pluck and
determination, for we imagine this throw
ing of dust on his adversary's head was
only to provoke him to fresh fight.
Every now and then he would stop and
take cautious peep down the hole to
observe the effect of his operations. We
expected every moment to see him de-
scend and make another attack, but it
soon became manifest that such was not
his intention, and it gradually dawned
upon us that he had strategic mode of
attack based upon the s, undest prin-
ciples of philosophy, reason and a
thorough knowledge of his adversary
and of the means he was using to render
his resistance futile and making him an
easy captive.


BY throwing fine dust into the hole
the doodlebug would soon be smothered,
as it was necessary that he should
have free air, unless he climbed upward,
as he would do. Whenever the worm
worked upward to get his head above,
the fine dust fell behind and below him,
and thus closed up his hole, until,
blinded with dust, he poked his head out
at the top. This was the point aimed
at, and the moment he showed his head
above, the wasp pounced upon him,
seized him by the neck, drew him up,
gathered him in his arms and few off in
triumph, though the worm was much
the larger of the two. Struck with
at the sagacity, science, skill,
and engineering ability of the dirtdauber,
we carefully sounded the hole, and found
that L. the course of FIVE minutes this
insect had filled in five inches
Of dust and put his formidable adversary
at his mercy.


The most skillful engineer, Todleben
DR. Beauregard, could not have thrown
up earthwOrks with a profounder calcu-
ation than this natural engineer.