XV THE AMMOPHILA 211 



never saw their homes protected by a covering. This 

 is natural in the case of A. hirsuta, for, I believe, this 

 species hunts the prey first and then burrows near 

 the place of capture. As provender can therefore 

 be at once stored it is useless to take any trouble 

 about a cover. As for A. holosericea, I suspect there 

 is another reason for not using any temporary door. 

 While the two others only put one caterpillar in 

 each cell, she puts as many as five, but much smaller 

 ones. Just as we ourselves neglect to shut a door 

 where some one is constantly passing to and fro, 

 perhaps this Ammophila neglects to place a stone 

 on a well which she will go down at least five times 

 within a short space of time. All four lay up 

 caterpillars of moths for their larvae. A. holosericea 

 chooses, though not exclusively, those slender, long 

 caterpillars known as Loopers. They move as a 

 compass might by opening and closing alternately, 

 whence their expressive French name of Measurers. 

 The same burrow includes provisions of varied 

 colours — a proof that this Ammophila hunts all kinds 

 of Loopers so long as they are small, for she herself 

 is but feeble and the larva cannot eat much, in spite 

 of the five heads of game set before it. If Loopers 

 fail, the Hymenopteron falls back on other caterpillars 

 equally small. Rolled up from the effect of the 

 sting which paralysed them, all five are heaped in 

 the cell ; the top one bears the egg for which the 

 provender is destined. 



The three other Ammophilae give but one cater- 

 pillar to each cell. True — size makes up for this ; 

 the game selected is corpulent, plump, amply 

 sufficing the grub's appetite. For instance, I have 



