'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From December 1854 to March 1856. (New Issue.) Edited by the Secretary. Volume XII.' [‎12] (239/258)

12
APPENDIX D.
log, notwithstanding which she managed to get into another cave, with a part of
her intestines dragging along the ground. I then set to work with fire to bum
or smoke her out, and after some time she again broke, and lay down between
two rocks close to me, when I gave her the ‘coup de grace.’ On pulling her out
1 found she was a young cub, about a year old, and (now for the curious part of
the story) had three porcupine quills, at about two inches apart, driven deeply
into her, one sewing up her right eye, and two in her neck There is no doubt
that a porcupine was in the cave with her, as some of the beaters saw one go in
a short time before. So this will do away with the supposition that they were
loose quills, which the cub had stuck in herself in rolling about. Then, o n the
other hand, if the cub in her agony had rushed against the porcupine, how could
three quills have only entered, and those too at some inches apart ’’
SoctAi. Spiduks. —“ It is acommon opinion, upheld by high authority, that the
family of Araichneids are unexceptionally solitary insects, never existing i n com
munities, and so fierce in character, that the female frequently destroys the male.
Azzare, the great and ardent naturalist, holds, however, a different theory grounded
on experience, and late personal observation has put us into a position, t 0 confirm
his assertion.”
“ Now our experience proves at all events that whether or not the so c ; a l spider
exists in Paraguay, it is certainly found in Bengal. We collected a number of
these insects; their colour darkish grey and striped down the back w ith white.
We placed them in an inverted wall shade. They immediately bega n to forma
large and substantial nest; the top was so constructed as to oppose all intrusion
and form a shelter just as Azzare relates. AH the business went on from under
this, the threads extending downwards and winding about. 1 'very mornin«- we
remarked an increase in the size of the domicile, proving that the labourers
worked at night, and the whole community lived apparently in perfect harmony
and quiet. A blue bottle fly put into the shade was, of course, a great attrac
tion and a signal for a concourse of candidates all running down the threads like
a ship’s crew down the ratlings of a ship.— Bengal Hurkaru., April 10 .
[The nests of social spiders are to lie foil' d on almost every tree in Bombay. The
Boom (Zisiphus Lotus or Jeejub) in ihe favourite, and servants cut off branches con
taining webs, and bung them up in the cook-room, where the spiders entrap and
destroy the flies.]
LtNnean Society.—J une 20, being the last meeting for the session, Professor Bell
president, in the chair. ’
The secretary, who read a letter from Dr. George Buist, containing an interesting
account from personal observation of the mason wasp of India. The male of this
insect is about twice the size of the common wasp, and of nearly the same colour, the
slender portion, which connects the abdomen with the thorax, being nearly one-eighth
of an inch in length, and scarcely thicker than a horse hair. The female bears no
resemblance to the male,being about one-eighth of his size, and ofa bright shining
bottle-green. Early in October, as soon as the rains are fairly over, the male mason
wasp begins to build. Selecting for bis nest a spot in some quiet corner, he
approaches, holding in his fore feet a piece of wet mud, about the size of a pea. HeVnst
makes a neat thin ring of about an inch in diameter. To this successive additions
are made till the edfice assumes a nearly spherical form. The opening at the top
is now contracted like the neck ofa bottle, and turned over with a'flat lip, an
opening being left of about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. Two' or
three of these little structures, each taking six or eight hours to finish, are
usually built together, and left to dry. So s' Oii as they are firm enough the female
is seen flitting about and dropping a few ovules in each, and these be attaches to the sice
of the chamber. i he male now approaches, bearing a large green caterpillar, about
three quarters of an inch in lenglh, and fully as large as himself. This, in spite of
its struggles, is at length thnnt through the bottle neck aperture of the nest, by the
inexorable bee, the utmost care is taken that these should be injured ns little as
possible, so that they may live till the iucribatlo'u of the oval 'has taken place,