. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. POTENT PERSONALITIES—WASPS AND HORNETS 49 unsuspicious and slow to take of- fense. These are young caterpillar wasps, for which as yet life means little more than feeding on nectar in full enjoyment of the summer sunshine. Lazy, slow- moving creatures, with an air of complete bore- dom, they could scarcely appear less interesting or more slothful. But while thev are spending their time in friv- olous enjoyment they are develop- ing strength and energy and ac- quiring a knowl- edge of the world. Energy finally gets the upper han
. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. POTENT PERSONALITIES—WASPS AND HORNETS 49 unsuspicious and slow to take of- fense. These are young caterpillar wasps, for which as yet life means little more than feeding on nectar in full enjoyment of the summer sunshine. Lazy, slow- moving creatures, with an air of complete bore- dom, they could scarcely appear less interesting or more slothful. But while thev are spending their time in friv- olous enjoyment they are develop- ing strength and energy and ac- quiring a knowl- edge of the world. Energy finally gets the upper hand, and the fe- male forsakes the flowers almost completely. The first thing she does on becoming energetic is to find a patch of bare, stiff soil, more or less pro- tected, and there dig a burrow end- ing in an enlarged chamber, oval in shape and horizontal. After the burrow is completed the wasp closes the opening with a little stone or a pellet of earth of just the right size, or sometimes with several pellets, filling the hole up level with the ground and often kicking some loose earth over it. Her burrow completed, closed, and con- cealed from view, she now goes in search of prey—caterpillars found on or near the ground. Our commonest one prefers green caterpillars much larger than herself. When a caterpillar is discovered the wasp knocks it off the leaf onto the l'hotn«ra|)h b\- t^aul (Iriswold EIGHT FLOORS IN A 4()-ST0RY "WALK-UP" APARTMKNT HOUSE Each floor of the skyscraper ( page) is securely anchored to the stronK outer wall, and all are connected by passageways in lieu of stairs and elevators. In these crowded tiers young wasps are reared. Then, watching her chance, .she seizes it with her mandibles near its head and gives it a prolonged sting between two of the earlier segments. This ends the struggles of the caterpillar. The wasp then stings its victim between the other earlier segments and between most or all of the hinder s
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