J. C. HUTSON 223 



Distribution. — This species is widely distributed throughout 

 North America, and the writer has examined specimens from 

 southern Canada, the eastern United States from Maine south 

 along the east coast to Florida, then west through the Gulf 

 States to southern California as far north as San Jose, then east 

 again through Nevada, Utah and north to the Great Lakes. 

 This insect also occurs in southeastern Montana but, as far as 

 the writer knows, does not extend over the Rocky Mountains 

 to the northern Pacific Coast region. He has also seen specimens 

 from the central Gulf Coast of Mexico. 



This species, therefore, as known to the writer, seems- to be an 

 Austral form, occurring mainly in the Upper and Lower Austral 

 with frequent specimens in the Transition Zone. 



Habits. — The members of the sub-family Sceliphroninae are col- 

 lectively known as Mud-daubers, and this beautiful species is 

 called the Blue Mud-dauber. The females can be noticed during 

 the early summer months flying in and out of barns, outhouses, 

 porches or any sheltered place, and if followed up may be seen 

 at work on their small earthern nests, which are usually placed 

 fairly high up near the roof. 



The writer has had little opportunity of studying the habits 

 of these insects, so that he cannot do better than to refer to the 

 interesting observations made by Mr. and Mrs. Peckham^ on 

 the habits of this species, there called Pelopaeus caendeus. 

 These observations were made over a period covering a number 

 of years and are of great interest and importance, especially those 

 on the methods employed by the wasps in capturing and stinging 

 their prey. 



Sceliphron zimmermanni (Dahlbom) 



Chalybion Zimmerinanni Dahlbom, Hym. Eur., i, 184.3, 22. 



Pelopaeus {Chalybion) Ziinmermanni Dahlbom, Hym. Eur., i, 1845, 433. 



Pelopaeus {Chalybion) Aztecus Saussure, Reise Novara, Zool., ii, pt. 1, 1867, 



Hym. 26. 

 Pelopaeus {Chalybion) zimmermanni Saussure, Reise Novara, Zool., ii, pt. 1, 



1867, Hym. 26. 

 Pelopaeus texanus Cresson, Trans. Amer. Ent. See, iv, 1872, 210. 

 Chalybion zimmermanni Patton, Proc. Bost. See. Nat. Hist., x.\, 1880, 379. 



^ Instincts and habits of the Solitary Wasps, b}' G. W. and E. G. Peekhara- 

 Wis. Geol. and Nat. Hist. Survey, Bull. No. 2, Sci. Ser. No. 1, 1898, p. 176. 



TRAN.S. AM. ENT. SOC, XLV. 



