AN INSECT DUEL

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10019, 4 January 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN INSECT DUEL

I saw ft wonderful exhibition of fcho bravery of insects wtiilo 1 was on ray vacation this summer, writes a professor to an American paper. I spout my holiday camping out, and the sight bo which I refer was a fight to the death between a wasp and a spider. Soon after my tout was pitched I awoko ono morning and hoard a buzzing sound in the peak of my canvas house. Looking up whilo still lying on my improvised bed, I eiuv a wasp building his mud house on the tent polo. Several times ho went out, and rofcuniod a fow minutes Inter with Ilia load of clay, which very soon formed another section of his abode.

Tho next morning, at just about sunris;, I heard the buzzing again, but it seomed to have increased in volume. Glancing up again I soon saw tho reason. A big spider had spun a web completely across tho corner of the tont, shutting tho half-finished homo of tho wasp off, so that it could not bo reached exoopt by passing through the wob, The spidor was an ugly-looking black fellow, and he stood on guard watching tho movements of the wasp. T|io latter flow backward and forward, looking for an opening to his domicile. Then ho remained still in tho air for a second or two, a* if taking a general view ot the situation. Finally ho alighted on tho tent polo within an inch or so of tho web, and seemed to be making up his mind what to do next, By this time I had become interested and wondered what) his plan of action would be. While I was still contemplating the two foes, the wasp flew off the pole and directly toward tho spider, which had been keenly watching him, and was evidently ready for the fray, if there was to bo ono. As the wasp flew past his enemy he ourled the under part of his body up so that tho part containing tho sting would como in close proximity to tho spider. The latter was evidently scciißtomed to such warfare, however, bocauao he got out of the way in a twinkling. Maddened at his defeat, tho wasp book a turn and went back again, Once more the spider eludod his venomous sting, bub at the sttrao time he appeared to bo trying to bito the wasp. The spider might have retreated so far from his wob fort that his enomy could nob have touched him until tho obstruction was broken down, bub lie evidently did nob intend to have bis carofully constructed fly-trap destroyed without u struggle, There were soveral skirmishes of the kihd already described, and, then the wasp again alighted on tho tent pole, as though reconnoitring and getting broath for a grand onslaught. That this was exactly whab ho was doing wan proved by what followod. After remaining on the pole for a few seconds, he flew off and poised himself in the air a foot or so below the web. Then he darted directly for the snider and went completely through the web at the exact spot which had been occupied by the spider a second before. For an instant both combatants wore lost to view,'and I heard the battle raging in the. peak of the tent, Before I had scarcely had a chance to wondor which was getting tho better of it,. both insects dropped to tho ground close to me. The spider was holding fast to tho wasp's head with his, small but effective mouth, and tho wasp was running his sting in and out of tho spider's body with lightning-liko rapidity. There was a short struggle on tho ground, when both insects began to grow weak, and their movements wore less rapid. Finally, they fell apart, bub neither moved, ./I examined them both af tor watching them for a few seconds....' The poison of each had done the work for tho other, and both wore dead, "