A Spider-Hunting Wasp.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1890, 23 April 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

A Spider-Hu nting Wasp.

Not long Einoo, while I was enjoying ft oiesta on the porch, my attention was euddenly attracted by seeing a large spider running up the body of a tree about ten feet away. The spider seemed to be very much excited, and, after he had run up the body ot tba tree about six feet, he ran out on a side limb, and after he had gone about eight feet on this limb, ho dropped oil to the ground. No sooner had he struck the ground than he commenced a headlong flight throuph the graes of the lawn. After he had run about five feet on the ground, I saw a very large wasp, about two inches long, following the track of the Fpider on the tree The wasp was running end flapping his winga in a nervous manner, but was not flying at all. In a few minutes the wasp arrived at the spot where the Epider had dropped off, which, by the way, wa3 about ten feet from the ground. Here the waep became very much excited, and ran rapidly back and forth about a minute. Then he took flight, flew to the root of the tree, where I saw him at first, and ran up the track again. Soon he arrived at the jumping off place, and again beoame very excited, running round and round, and flapping his winga nervously, Suddenly the wasp stopped and appeared to be thinking. Certainly his actions bore out this conclusion, for be closed hia wings and dropped oil the limb, ju?t where the spider had dropped. Arriving at the ground ha recommenced the search, and after a few futile attempts he Btruck the scent, and away he went, just exactly as a hound would have followed a deer. After running about ten feet on the ground, he overtook his prey.

The spider either saw or heard his enemy coming, for, without waiting to be overtaken, he threw himself upon his bßck, with his feet in the air, and in this posture awaited the attack. The wasp lost no time in beginning, but, to my surprise, seemed to be somewhat afraid of the epider. The wasp took to his wings, and would fly round and round the spider, and would now and then make a sudden thrust at him. The epider would, at these times, jump forward and stemed to be trying to catoh the wasp. The wasp was too agile, however, to be caught. Suddenly the wasp made an attack, stung the spider, and in Jess than half a second the spider was perfectly dead. Electrioity could not have killed him quicker. The wasp, after satisfying himeelf that hia prey was dead, sat on the grass near by and proceeded to rest himself, for bis violent efforts had exhausted him. After resting about two minutes he approached the spider, and, after examining him critically with his antennas, straddled him, and proceeded to bear him away.

Just here I put in a say-so, and captured the wasp and epider, and immolated both to my scientific curiosity. This occurrence would seem to show that the wasp can track by smell, and can likewise reason, else why did he drop from the limb ? I regret to say that I neglected to keep the epidar and observe whether he had been really killed, or only put into the lethargic condition into which our dirt daubers put their spiders.

I am not versed in entomology sufficiently to give the technical names of either waep or spider. The spider waa very large, his abdomen being half an inch long.

" How do you like my boy, Mr. Brown ? Nice quiet little fellow about the oflice?" " Yea. He doean't snore."

The war in Hayti has developed an interesting feture in the drafting of women into Legitime's army. There being a surplus of the aoftrr sex in the capital of the negro republio, it has been possible to enroll quite a number of these ebony Amazons, who are not embodied in exclusive battalions of their own sex, but are distributed among the men. These women are dressed in masculina costume, and look much like negro youths. The Haytian negroes, where they have been amalgamated with the native Caribs, have become almost beardless, particularly when the men are young, and hence these Haytian Amazons are said to be distinguishable from the males, when all are standing in a line together, chiefly by the fact that the faces of the women are more pleasing and less hard and brutal than those of the men. Every person who has seen our own fair Amazons on (he etage or engaged in a broorn-diill, will have noticed that in the peculiar conformation of the sex of superior swell at the hips and the lesser breadth of the shoulders combine to exert special effects, upon the manual of arms. When the guns were brought to a " carry," being rested against the hip and upon tbe shoulder, they do not Btand erect, but incline at an angle toward the head of the fair soldier. Moreover, when the troopa are alligned in " position of the soldier " it is mora easy for them to touch hips than elbows, ss required by the code, and ehculd the time ever come when the armies of the white nations are to be made up of women, it is to be hoped, in the interest of graoe and symmetry, that nobody will design special arms and a manual fox their use suited to the sex,

Haughty old hostess (who invited to her party the wrong one of two artists bearing the aame name) : " I wa3 thinking of allowing you to paint me I' 1 Artist : 11 Madam, I do not make portraits." Hosteßß : 11 Ah ! you are not then Dobb3, the historical painter ? (disdainfully) You paint but landscapes !" Artist (slightly piqued) : " Pardon me, I also paint ruins I"

Doctor: "Well, did yon follow my prescription ?" Patient: "No, indeed!'' Pootor : " Why not?" Patient : " Because in a moment of doubt I threw it out of tha window, and if I had followed it I should Haven broken my neck 1"

Old monkey (at a Bhow to a new arrival from hia native wilds put in his cage) : '• My bod, look attentively at these human beings; then you will see how descendants from one of us can degenerate I"

" Hebe I have been asking that Smith to dinner all the time because I hoped he might marry one of my six daughers. Got up the beatdinnars in the finest 6tyle, and now the fellow goes and marries—my oook I"