270 KANSAS UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



For two hours I stationed myself in front of a small colony 

 of eight burrows. During that time I saw five of the owners 

 of these burrows. 



The first v^'asp came from the field unburdened, and entered 

 its tube. In two minutes it came out and backed in. It stayed 

 in this position for forty-three minutes, although three times 

 it showed its head at the entrance of the tube. At last it came 

 out, but reentered at once head first. Eight minutes later it 

 again came out and backed into the nest. The rest of the time 

 I was there it occasionally showed its head at the entrance of 

 the tube, but never ventured out. 



The second wasp came home with a caterpillar. She had 

 difficulty in alighting, for several times as she poised to grasp 

 the tube with her feet the wind would dash her against the 

 cliff. When at last she was successful in alighting she had dif- 

 ficulty in pushing the caterpillar ahead of her. Ten minutes 

 later she came out of the tube and backed in. Twice after 

 that she showed herself at the entrance, in thirty-seven min- 

 utes after she had backed into the tube, and again ten minutes 

 later. 



Wasp number three stayed at home all afternoon. Once she 

 showed her head at the entrance. 



The fourth wasp was excavating when I arrived. She would 

 drop a pellet about every thirty seconds. After bringing out 

 six or seven pellets she would go for water and battle with 

 the wind on her return. Only twice she made the trip without 

 mishap. Usually when she was about to alight the wind would 

 dash her against the cliff, sometimes apparently causing her 

 to lose her load of water, for she would again fly to the creek. 

 After working in this way for thirty-five minutes she backed 

 into her tube to stay, although she showed herself at least two 

 times. 



The fifth wasp tried to work the whole afternoon in spite 

 of the gale. For some reason she was collecting earth from 

 the side of the cliflf and carrying it into her nest a few feet 

 away, perhaps to seal some cells. She was very unsuccessful 

 in her work, for nearly every t'me she would tiy to alight on 

 the end of her tube she would lose her poise, be blown against 

 the cliflf, and would drop her load of earth. She would then 

 go back for another. When I first noted her she would gather 

 a load of earth in her mandibles and fly to the tube, anprox'- 



