NATURE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19292, 3 April 1926, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES.

THE SPIDER AND THE WASP

J. DRUMMOND. F.L.S., F.Z.S

A spider and a wasp interested Mr. Justico Adams when he visited the West Coast last month to conduct sittings of the Supremo Court there. Near the railway bridge that approaches Hokitika, he saw a dark wasp dragging a stupefied spider among gravel on the bank. The wasp, after it had taken tho spider toward a baulk of timber, flew about Sin. up into the air, carrying the spider with it, Tho wasp's intention, evidently, was to take the spider to the wasp's home to bo used as fresh food for a young wasp when it hatched out of the egg. lhe spider was perhaps six times as heavy as the wasp, too heavy to lie carried far in that way, although there was no difficulty in dragging it along the giound. The wasp descended gently, still keeping its hold. It then left tho spider, in order, his Honor presumes, to see that its home was in readiness to receive the captive. His Honor, who liaii come under the fascination of Fabre, after reading that charming French naturalist's books on wasps and their ways, reluctantly abandoned further observation of the wasp. Tlio spider he brought to Christchurch As far as he saw, it showed no signs of life, except that two protuberances held vertically were not rigid, while its legs were drawn up toward its body. At least eight days after capture, it had not shrivelled, and its appearance suggested that it, was not dead, but slumbered under tho wasp's paralysing poison. The spider was larger than the average spider, was dark and handsome, and had fairly long and very hairy legs. Mr. A. Tonnoir has kindly identified it as Cambridgea antipodiana, a group of tho trap-door spiders dedicated to tho Rev. O. P. Cambridge, a collector and student of spiders in England. The species may be plentiful in New Zealand, but it has not been reported as often as other trap-door spiders, Migas distinctus and Migas sandgeri, for instance. It occurs also on tho Chatham Islands, probably on other islands near tho mainland. It is smaller than tho common trap-door species. Tho wasp evidently, from his Honor's description, was Salius monachus, a beautiful and notorious hunter of spiders.

A somewhat similar incident was recorded in New Zealand about 23 years ago. A Salius wasp was seen dragging a great hairy spider down a steep bank. This wasp, like the wasp his Honor watched last month, left its captive to look for a placo to put it, but the observer saw it return, take a firm hold of the spider, and dra<; it along with comparative ease, the wasp walking backward. Its strength is shown by the fact that its effort was compared to the effort a man would have to make to drag the body of a dray-horse. In this case, the spider did not alter its position or condition for 24 hours. After that time, it indicated life by haying drawn its legs into a crouching position and raised its spinners vertically. In a few days the spider, if irritated, moved its legs slightly. Seven days after tho dato of its capture, its legs again relaxed. It was dead indeed.

According to the Hon. G. M. Thomson, Salius attacks a spider by springing ou to its back, curling around the spider's abdomen, and stinging it in the middle of its thorax. The spider, completely paralysed, is dragged to the wasp's burrow "in the ground or in a log. The wasp places several paralysed spiders in the burrow. When it leels that tho homo has been sufficiently provisioned it lays an egg in it. The grub feeds on the spiders until it is ready to begin life on its own account. Mr. Thomson adds that spulers seem to have an instinctive dread of Salius wasps. Even krgo spiders, strong enough to smash their enemies with a blow of their falcos, throw up the sponge on sight. "They becomo weak-kneed and limp and run in a helpless way until their active black enemios pounce on them and quickly give them a thrust—the first, the last."

Becoming acquainted with a family of wekas, Mr. Sidney A. A. Fry, of Brunnerton, mado records of their intimate domestic affairs. Wekas, in spite of foibles —they are impudeut and thievish and are given to anger—aro lovable birds, nono nioro so, and humans who get to know them well feel that it is a privilege to do so. Mr. Fry's opportunity eamo when ho was gold mining in the Waiinangaroa River, north of Westport. A male weka, a female, and their three chicks, attended the little smithy every day at crib-time, to have lunch with Mr. Fry and his brothers. The male and the female, when offered pieces of bread and meat, took them from the hand, and, with much clucking, gavo them to the chicks, until the chicks were so full that thev could take no more. Tho old man weka, ' ho was named, then gavo all his pieces to the female until she was quite satisfied. He then helped himself to a meal!

Tho chicks grew up quickly. In a few weoks tho time seemed to arrive for weaning them. The old man welta suddenly displayed much anger. Tho feathers on his head and neck bristled, (jiving him a very fierce appearance. With his sharp, strong bill he stabbed oil the back any chick that went near him. The chick, instead of trying to pet away, crouched (lat oil the ground, and squawked loudly. Soon afterwards the old man weka fed the chicks again, but after another day or two they showed fear of him. When he approached one, clucking invitingly and carrying a piece of bread in bis bill, it squatted and made a pandemonium of screeching, as if it did not. know if it would receive a piece of bread or a stab in the back. Tho female, apparently, took no part in tho weaning. The result was that the chicks wore driven away to scratch for a living on their own account. Tlio boat! of one of them occasionally came up alnive ferns 20 or 30 yards from tho smithy. Tho old man weka, with shrill and angry notes, instantly went after the owner of the head and mado tho chick go for its life through tho scrub, while the bush rang with the uproar.

When employed at a mill on the Kaituna River, Bay of Plenty, Mr. H. S. Hall, of Tnruru, liad has attention drawn to a shoal of fish believed to be whitebait. With a whitebait net, Mr. J. Dudson, owner of tho mill, and ho scooped up elvers, or young eels, from an inch and aquarter to an inch and a-half long. There wero countless thousands in tho shoal. They wero watched for about half an hour whiie they streamed up tho river, and were still" travelling when Mr. Hall and Mr. Dudson left the bank. References tti eels has brought tho following note from a correspondent on tho West Coast: "Will the readers of your column report the weight and measurements of the largest eels in their experience ? Many years agOj I caught an eel that weighed twentyfive pounds and a-quarter. A few months ago, Mr. Couper, of Pelorus Valley, caught one in the Rai Valley five feet long, sixteen inches in girth, and thirty-two pounds in weight, I hare heard of larger eels, but nave not personal knowledge of them."