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     American Nature Series

     Group V. Diversions from Nature




     INSECT STORIES

     BY

     VERNON L. KELLOGG


    _With Illustrations_

     BY

     MARY WELLMAN, MAUD LANKTREE, AND SEKKO SHIMADA


     NEW YORK
     HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
     1908


     COPYRIGHT, 1908,
     BY HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
     Published June, 1908


     ROBERT DRUMMOND COMPANY, PRINTERS, NEW YORK


                    TO
     DOROTHY S., ANNA F., AND MARY L.
               WHO ARE MARY




PREFATORY NOTE


In these days many strange, true stories about animals are being
written and read, but it seems to me that some of our most intimate
and interesting animal companions are being overlooked. So I have
tried to write about a few of them. These stories are true. I know
this, for Mary and I have really seen almost everything I have told;
and they seem to us strange. If there have slipped into the stories
occasional slight attempts to show some reason for the strange things
or to point an unobtrusive moral, it is because the teacher's habit
has overcome the story-teller's intention. So the slips may be
pardoned.

Of course I recognize that it is taking great chances nowadays with
one's reputation for honesty and truth-telling to write or tell
stories about animal behavior. Nature writers seem to be held, as a
class, not to be above suspicion. But is a truthful man to be kept
silent by criticism or abuse, or, on the other hand, is he to
surrender, even for cash, to bad examples? I call out, "No!" and beat
on the table as I say this until the pens and paper hop, and Mary
asks, "No what?" Which reminds me that I must make some exception to
my sweeping declaration of the truth of the whole of this little book.
I am not responsible for Mary! She is, bless her, a child of dreams,
and sometimes her dreams get into her talk. So some of Mary in this
book is fancy; but the beasties and their doings are--I say it
again--true, quite true.

                                                           V. L. K.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA.




    LIST OF STORIES


    A NARROW-WAISTED MOTHER
    RED AND BLACK AGAINST WHITE
    THE VENDETTA
    THE TRUE STORY OF THE PIT OF MORROWBIE JUKES
    ARGIOPE OF THE SILVER SHIELD
    THE ORANGE-DWELLERS
    THE DRAGON OF LAGUNITA
    A SUMMER INVASION
    A CLEVER LITTLE BROWN ANT
    AN HOUR OF LIVING; OR, THE DANCE OF DEATH
    IN FUZZY'S GLASS HOUSE
    THE ANIMATED HONEY-JARS
    HOUSES OF OAK

[Illustration: A NARROW-WAISTED MOTHER]




A NARROW-WAISTED MOTHER


I first got acquainted with Mary when she was collecting tarantula
holes. This appealed to me strongly. It was so much more interesting
than collecting postmarks or even postage-stamps.

It is part of my work, the part which is really my play--to go out and
look at things. To do the same, I found out, is Mary's play--which is,
of course, her most serious employment. We easily got acquainted when
we first met, and made an arrangement to go out and look at things,
and collect some of them, together. So after Mary had shown me that
collecting tarantula holes is really quite simple--although at first
thought of it you may not think so--I proposed to her to come along
and help me collect a few wasp holes. They are smaller of course than
tarantula holes and do not make quite such a fine showing when you get
them home, but they have several real advantages over the spider
burrows, only one of which I need tell you now. This one is, that you
can watch the wasps make their holes because they do it in the
daytime, while you can't watch the tarantula make its hole because it
does