192 KANSAS UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



and seven from the mouth of the main tunnel. It contained an 

 immature Giyllus, with the smooth, shining, whit'sh NotogGrda 

 egg transversely arranged on the prosternum (fig. 118, E). 

 The second cell was similarly provisioned, while the third 

 yielded two crickets, one of which was quite small. One of 

 the victims from this nest was decidedly active when touched, 

 though its leaps were neither continued nor well directed. 

 Digging still deeper revealed no further cells. 



There are several things worthy of note regarding the habits 

 of this insect. Although not seen in the act of excavating her 

 burrow, she never used her feet in filling up the hole, as is 

 done by Tachijsphex. The latter insect, however, has the long- 

 fringed fore tibife and tarsi, admirably adapted for digging 

 in the loose, sandy soil (see fig. 81), while the heavy black 

 earth in which Notogonia was working did not very readily 

 permit digging with the feet, which in this case are not long- 

 fringed (fig. 80). The immature Gryllus used were so young 

 (or of a diff"erent species) as to be pallid beneath; darker, 

 slightly larger Gryllus, as well as mature Nemobiiis, were 

 scarcely noticed when thrown down before the very nose, so 

 to .speak, of the hunting wasp. 



Ashmead {Psyche, p. 63; April, 1894) says: "In the south 

 I have seen Larva argentata provision its cells with a small, 

 immature cricket, which it completely paralyzes before stor- 

 ing it away in its clay cell. From a single cell I have taken 

 as many as six of these small crickets." 



Larropsis divisa Patton. 



The females of the species of Larropsis were not found to be 

 num.erous in any locality, and consequently the method of 

 searching their prey was seldom noted. At Leoti, Wichita 

 county, August 19, 1910, at 8:53 A. M., one of these active in- 

 sects was seen to enter its nest, which was situated at the upper 

 edge of an old brick-clay pit, largely choked with Russian 

 thistle. The entrance to the tunnel was by no means neat, and 

 the insect had taken advantage of a small horizontal crack in 

 the earth, as if to lessen the labor of excavation. Lavropsi'^ 

 flew with her burden, which was evidently an immature Ceuto- 

 philus (Locustidse, but rested several times e)i route, carrying 

 the "cave" cricket well forward beneath her. Thus she entered 

 the hole, very soon to reappear and take wing. Other Ceuto- 

 phili were brought in at 9 :06, 9 :15, 9 :35. 11 :03 a. m.. and 1:10 



