130 HYMENOPTERA 



phidae ; the larva spins an orange-red cocoon, passes the winter 

 therein, and assumes the pupal form in the spring ; there is, he 

 says, a segment more in the female pupa than there is in the male. 



The species of the sub-genus Crossocerus provision their nests 

 with Aphididae, but C. wesmaeli makes use, for the purpose, 

 according to Ferton, of an elegant little fly of the family 

 Tipulidae; according to Pissot this same wasp also makes use 

 of a species of Typldocyba, a genus of the Homopterous division of 

 Khynchota. Supposing there to be no mistake as to this latter 

 observation, the choice of Diptera and of Homoptera by the same 

 species indicates a very peculiar habit. 



Fertonius (Crossocerus} luteicollis in Algeria forms cells at a 

 slight depth in sandy soil, and provisions them with ants. The 

 ant selected is Tapinoma erraticum, and the individuals captured 

 are the wingless workers. The mode of hunting has been de- 

 scribed by Ferton ; the wasp hovers over one of the ant-paths at a 

 distance of a few millimetres only above the surface, and when 

 an ant that is considered suitable passes, the Fertonius pounces 

 on it, stings it, and carries it off to the burrow ; forty or fifty 

 ants are accumulated in a cell, the egg is laid in the heap of 

 victims about one-third of the depth from the bottom ; the 

 resulting larva sucks the ants one by one, by attaching itself to 

 the thorax behind the first pair of legs. There is a very 

 interesting point in connection with the habits of this species, 

 viz. that the ants are not only alive, but lively ; they have, 

 however, lost the power of co-ordinating the movements of the 

 limbs, and are thus unable to direct any attack against the feeble 

 larva. Ferton thinks there are three generations of this species 

 in a single year. 



NOTE. In a note on p. 99 we have mentioned the new publication of 

 Mr. and Mrs. Peckham on the habits of Fossores. We may here add that it 

 contains much fresh information on these Insects, together Avith criticisms of 

 the views of Fabre and others. One of the points most noteworthy is that 

 they have observed Crabro stirpicola working night and day for a period of 

 forty-two consecutive hours. They made experiments on Sembex spinola<: 

 with a view of ascertaining whether the female provisions two nests simul- 

 taneously ; as the result they think this improbable. If the female Bembecid 

 make nests only consecutively, it is clear it must have but a small fecundity. 

 The larval life extends over about fifteen days ; and if we allow three months 

 as the duration of life of a female, it is evident that only about six young 

 can be produced in a season. 



