Vol. xxili] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 249 



holes were evidently the work of Coleopterous larvae, a spe- 

 cies of which was taken. 



A number of these holes were occupied by the Crabro, sev- 

 eral adults of which were dug out. The stump was quite soft 

 and it is possible that Crabro utilized the galleries of other in- 

 sects, modifying them according to its needs. 



The nests (PI. XIV, fig. 4) had their several cells separated 

 from one another by partitions of wood dust. Each of the 

 occupied cells had been provided with moths, almost all of the 

 species L. sticticalis (for moth see PL XVI, fig. 7), perhaps 

 also with L. commixtcdis Walker, which were not as abundant 

 as the former, and one or two other small species of moths. 



No larvae of Crabro were found, but several unopened co- 

 coons examined later contained dead adult wasps. The brown, 

 paper-like cocoon itself was enveloped and hidden by the moth 

 wings arranged in a more or less shingled manner and other 

 portions of the consumed moths. The base of the wings of 

 the moth always faced the distal end of the cell, showing that 

 Crabro always brought its prey in head first. 



Early in 1911, several of the Crabro cocoons were opened 

 and two revealed a Hymenopterous larva, evidently one of the 

 Parasitica. 



It may be of interest to know that Lo.vostege sticticalis and 

 commi.vtalis, occur in Europe as well as in America, and may 

 be therefore an importation from the Old World. These two 

 moths, particularly the first mentioned, are abundant in North- 

 western Kansas and undoubtedly have a wide range in the 

 United States. The larva is considered an alfalfa pest by the 

 farmers, and was found to be very abundant on the obnoxious 

 Russian thistle (Salsoka kali), and in Wichita County were 

 observed moving in armies of considerable magnitude. 



The Peckhams in their book "Wasps, Solitary and Social/' 

 report a Crabro sp? as provisioning its nest with white moths 

 which it packs lengthwise of the cell. They found four species 

 of moths in the nests opened. 



