Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 61.djvu/357

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THE SOCIAL WASPS.
351

1. All wasps possess the instinct of fear. This is especially strong the first few days after emergence, but is readily overcome by the frequent appearance of the awe-inspiring object.

2. The feeding instinct is evidently called forth in response to olfactory impressions. These responses become more precise as they are repeated.

3. Once established, under favoring conditions separate reactions combine to form complex habits.

4. In a sense, the wasp remembers. This is indicated by the manner in which it accustoms itself to the sight of strange objects, and by its behavior when a change is made in its nest or surroundings.

5. It shows considerable individual variability, both as to time and manner of its response to stimuli.

6. Wasps do not imitate one another. Instinct and individual experience account sufficiently for their powers, and their apparent cooperation is due entirely to the accident of their being born on the same nest.