Carnivorous Wasps

Abstract

I HAVE twice within the last few days noticed the same thing that your correspondent writes about, viz. wasps devouring flies. In the first instance the fly was found held fast by the feet of a wasp which I had killed; the fly was dead, but I think intact. In the second instance the body of the fly was reduced to a shapeless mass, and about half had been devoured, no doubt by the wasp. I had previously observed a wasp apparently attacking a butterfly (small white), possibly for the same purpose; it was, however, unsuccessful. I do not know whether it is unusual for wasps to do this, but I have certainly never observed it before.