of it for a few seconds, then took small circles in front of it, then larger ones round the whole plant.  I thought it had gone, but it returned again, and had another look at the opening in the dense foliage down which the other half of the caterpillar lay.  It then flew away, but must have left its burden for distribution with its comrades at the nest, for it returned in less than two minutes, and making one circle around the bush, descended to the opening, alighted on a leaf, and ran inside.  The green remnant of the caterpillar was lying on another leaf inside, but not connected with the one on which the wasp alighted, so that in running in it missed it, and soon got hopelessly lost in the thick foliage.  Coming out again, it took another circle, and pounced down on the same spot again, as soon as it came opposite to it.  Three small seed-pods, which here grew close together, formed the marks that I had myself taken to note the place, and these the wasp seemed also to have taken as its guide, for it flew directly down to them, and ran inside; but the small leaf on which the fragment of caterpillar lay, not being directly connected with any on the outside, it again missed it, and again got far away from the object of its search.  It then flew out again, and the same process was repeated again and again.  Always when in circling round it came in sight of the seed-pods down it pounced, alighted near them, and recommenced its quest on foot.  I was surprised at its perseverance, and thought it would have given up the search; but not so, it returned at least half a dozen times, and seemed to get angry, hurrying about with buzzing wings.  At last it stumbled across its prey, seized it eagerly, and as there was nothing more to come back for, flew straight off to its nest, without taking any further note of the locality.  Such an action is not the result of blind instinct, but of a thinking mind:  and it is wonderful to see an insect so differently constructed using a mental process similar to that of man.  It is suggestive of the probability of many of the actions of insects that we ascribe to instinct being the result of the possession of reasoning powers.

[Illustration:  WASP AND HOLE IN THE SAND.]

A WASP AND ITS PREY

(FROM THE INSTINCTS AND HABITS OF THE SOLITARY WASPS.)[6]

BY G. W. AND E. G. PECKHAM.

[6] Reprinted by permission from Bulletin No. 2, Series I, of The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, 1898.

[Illustration]

Most graceful and attractive of all the wasps—­as Fabre describes them, the Ammophiles, of all the inhabitants of the garden, hold the first place in our affections.  Not so beautiful as the blue Pelopaeus nor so industrious as the little red-girdled Trypoxylon, their intelligence, their distinct individuality, and their obliging tolerance of our society make them an unfailing source of interest.  They are, moreover,