Ecological and Behavior Notes 13 



4, 1917, they were rather abundant in open spaces, road- 

 sides, etc., bordering on the forest. 



Planiceps niger Cress. [S. A. Rohwer]. At Meramec 

 Highlands, Mo., this wasp was walking about on a clay 

 bank, probably foraging. In the course of its travels it 

 walked over a heavy spider-web; when in the center, it 

 bit a hole through the web with its mandibles, and drop- 

 ped through it to the ground below. 



Notiochares philadelphicus Lep. [S. A. Rohwer]. This 

 wasp was taken at Cedar Bluff, Mo., on July 9, 1916, and 

 on a mud embankment at Jerseydale, Mo., on October 19. 

 On August 13, one was seen in the dusty road carrying 

 a spider, Lycosa scutulata [Emerton]. This prey, when 

 taken from the wasp, was limp and made only slight re- 

 sponse to stimulus. Sixteen days later the response was 

 still slight, and shortly after that date the spider seemed 

 dead. 



Our first real acquaintance with this wasp was when 

 we discovered four holes in a bald and hard-packed area 

 near the old log smoke-house, and three of these black 

 wasps (beautiful blue in the sunshine) were loitering 

 about the area. They walked slowly about, or flew 

 languidly to near-by plants; they casually nosed about 

 any holes or irregularities in the surface. The four holes 

 mentioned had been recently dug, for the fresh earth still 

 lay in front of each. For about two hours these wasps 

 lingered about these holes (PI. VI, fig. 5), but did nothing 

 constructive that we could see. In their slow walks over 

 the area, their antennae and wings moved nervously, but 

 they paid each other no heed. One hole was dug out ; it 

 was seven-sixteenths inch diameter at the mouth, very 

 crooked, and went down at an irregular slope for two 

 and one-half inches. It was empty. A second one was 

 found to be of about the same size and irregular direc- 

 tion, but it contained a large spider, Lycosa scutulata 

 [Emerton], with its abdomen almost eaten away by a 

 large larva. 



