96 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



live bugs of the species that she preferred. When she came 

 out she flew about in the glass for a short time and then, seiz- 

 ing one of the bugs by the head, in her mandibles, and holding 

 it dorsum up, she curved her abdomen under it and stung the 

 lower face of the thorax. We were close by, and could see the 

 performance distinctly. She then, without relaxing her hold, 

 walked with the bug into her nest. We tried to get her to take 

 another, but without success. 



Wishing to follow the fortunes of this wasp still further we 

 came down to the garden early the next morning and stationed 

 ourselves near her nest. It was nine o'clock before she made 

 her appearance, and then she spent half an hour in the imme- 

 diate neighborhood, walking around and around and frequently 

 flattening herself down in the dust. She then went away, per- 

 haps for breakfast, coming back an hour later without any load 

 and spending twenty minutes inside the nest. At the end of 

 this time (it was now eleven o'clock) she began the business of 

 the day by working for ten minutes at enlarging her nest. 

 Then, after circling about and alighting again and again, after 

 standing just inside the doorway and looking out, and after ly- 

 ing down just outside the doorway and looking in, this most 

 calm, deliberative, and unhurriable of all the wasps went away 

 and caught one bug. After that the charms of home again as- 

 serted themselves and the circling performance was repeated. 

 We tried to get her to accept a bug of our providing, but in 

 vain. At half after eleven she took her departure and three 

 hours later she had not returned. We then opened the nest 

 (PL IX., fig. 6) in which we found eighteen bugs, thirteen of 

 them being dead and five living as was shown by the quivering^ 

 of their legs and antennae in response to stimulation. They were- 

 all mixed with earth but had doubtless been stored in pockets 

 like those ®f unicolor. We found no eggs nor larvae. Of the 

 five living bugs two died within twenty-four hours, while tke 

 others lived three days. 



We saw another of these wasps carry in nine bugs during an 

 afternoon and the following morning. Once, when she came 



