\\ASPS. isi 



Then we replaced this stone and on its return it 

 went straight to the hole after a few preliminary 

 circular flights. i 



The species Pelopaeus lastus (Plate 22). This is 

 one of the commonest mud daubers, and is frequent- 

 ly called a *'hornet." It is also called the *'pin-waisted 

 mud dauber," and "spider wasp" because of its 

 habit of catching spiders. It makes nests of varying 

 size, usually of two rows of cells (Plate 22, Fig. i). 

 It works up the earth into little mud pellets and 

 probably with the further aid of salivary secretion 

 from the mouth. Each little wasp grub has a little 

 mud cell about an inch in length for its temporary 

 home. The mother wasp hunts for spiders ; she 

 seizes one, and after paralysing it, she straddles it 

 until she is near the nest, when she carries it up 

 to the cell. The number of spiders stored depends 

 on their size. Usually the spiders are smalt 



to medium, and of the same species, a speckled 

 type . It lays an egg on one of the spiders and then 

 seals up the cell when sufficient food is stored. The 

 little Avasp grub hatches out in two or three 

 days. It feeds about 10 to 15 days, and after a 

 series of moults becomes a full-grown larva. (Plate 

 22, Fig. 2.) It then spins a brittle papery cocoon 

 (Plate 22, Figs. 3 and 4), cutting off the excretion, 

 and pupates within it, emerging as an adult about 

 two weeks later. The adult is a yellow and black 

 wasp with a conspicuous yellow ring-like collar or 

 pronotum, and a very long slender petiole. (Plate 

 22, Figs. 7 a. and 8.) The pronotum and the 

 tegulse are not in contact. (Plate 21, Fig. 10.) 

 It is interesting to note the variations in habit 



