WILLIAMS: HABITS OP WASPS. 225 



The soil here was sandy and interspersed with small weeds 

 and buffalo grass; in the latter Gypona cinerea Uhl. (fig. 5)/ 

 the prey of Harpachts occurred. This bug, which belongs to 

 the homopterous family Jassidse, is an insect of stout form, 

 and pale grayish brown color. It appeared to be partial to 

 buffalo grass. 



Harpactus does not wander far from her burrow in search 

 of her prey. She proceeds at a rather slow and deliberate gait, 

 inspecting the clumps of grass in a thorough manner. She 

 veiy seldom ventures up a stem, and when a bug is found it 

 is easily captured and subdued. In some cases the bugs, as it 

 unsuitable, are not transported to the wasp's burrow, but left 

 afield. 



The first wasp of this species seen, after stinging (?) and 

 malaxating a bug, selected a nesting site, where she dug for 

 one hour and twenty-five minutes. After all this time and 

 labor, however, she failed to make use of the burrow. 



The second wasp was first noted at 8:54 A. M., when she 

 was carrying a bug, holding it venter up beneath her, using 

 her middle pair of legs for this purpose." Thus burdened she 

 disappeared into a rather large and sloping tunnel. 



At 9:02 she carried in another Gypona, this time venter 

 down. In this case she experienced considerable difficulty in 

 locating her burrow, although she had found it immediately 

 on her former trip. Harpactus remained within her nest for 

 half an hour. Some of this time must have been employed in 

 making another cell, for she finally backed out, throwing out 

 the soil with her well-fringed fore feet, but carrying out the 

 larger pieces of dirt in her jaws. She ran in and backed out 

 several times, and finally came out head first (an almost in- 

 variable sign, in a number of Sphecoidea observed, that work 



1. Identified by Prof. E. D. Ball. 



2. It is interesting as well as instructive to note the several methods of carrying theii' 

 prey employed by the solitary wasps. The Porapilidae, or spider wasps, most frequently 

 seize the spider by one of its leg^s and proceed backward with if ; a smaller number of 

 species bite off one or more of the victim's legs. The Larrida*. which store their nests with 

 saltatorial Orthoptera. seize their victim's antennee with their mandibles and hold the body 

 with one or more pairs of legs; some, as certain Tarhysphex. employ the first and second 

 pairs of legs in dragging their prey over the ground — here the smoothest, and therefore 

 the surface of least resistance, viz., the dorsum of the orthopteron, is next the ground. The 

 Sphecida?, as shall be seen, have much the same habits as the above. A species of Diodon- 

 tus (Pemphredonida?) seizes its small, weak victim (a plant louse) with her jaws by the 

 ventral part of its prothorax, Miscophvs (Larridaf), as has been observed by C. Hartman. 

 grasps "the paralyzed spider with her mandibles by two or more of its legs, slings it on 

 her back .ind marches off with it, walking forward, the spider hanging rather to one side 

 in an uncomfortable and rather awkward looking manner." In the Nyssonidie. Harpactiis 

 gypona- carries the bug beneath her, holding it with the middle pair of legs, but she does 

 not seize it in addition with her mandibles by its antennie, which are very small and 

 slender. It appears that this diversity in habit is in each case the best method of carrying 

 the prey, which for various species of wasps often differ considerably in size and structure. 



