﻿Hymenoptera 
  Orientalis. 
  13; 
  

  

  Pelopeous 
  madraspatanus. 
  

  

  Of 
  this 
  abundant 
  species 
  (commonly 
  called 
  the 
  mud- 
  

   dauber) 
  an 
  interesting 
  account 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  Home 
  {Trans. 
  

   Linn. 
  Soc. 
  VII., 
  p. 
  161 
  — 
  163). 
  In 
  May, 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  the 
  

   females 
  are 
  found 
  congregating 
  by 
  small 
  puddles 
  near 
  

   wells, 
  treading 
  the 
  mud 
  into 
  little 
  pellets 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  buck-shot, 
  which, 
  when 
  ready, 
  are 
  brought 
  in 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  nest 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   constructed. 
  This 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  various 
  situations. 
  In 
  

   window-sills, 
  in 
  hollows 
  in 
  walls, 
  in 
  locks, 
  in 
  any 
  cavity 
  

   between 
  the 
  wall 
  and 
  door-frame 
  ; 
  in 
  a 
  depression 
  on 
  the 
  

   floor, 
  anywhere, 
  in 
  fact, 
  inside 
  or 
  near 
  a 
  house. 
  Home 
  relates 
  

   how 
  one 
  individual 
  commenced 
  to 
  build 
  in 
  the 
  corner 
  of 
  a 
  

   door-frame, 
  where 
  it 
  w^as 
  crushed 
  every 
  time 
  the 
  door 
  was 
  

   opened. 
  Six 
  times 
  did 
  the 
  industrious 
  creature 
  commence 
  

   its 
  habitation 
  only 
  to 
  have 
  it 
  crushed 
  every 
  time. 
  It 
  takes 
  

   about 
  a 
  day 
  to 
  complete 
  a 
  cell 
  ; 
  two, 
  or 
  three, 
  or 
  five 
  are 
  

   built 
  together, 
  the 
  whole 
  being 
  then 
  covered 
  over 
  with 
  a 
  

   smooth 
  coating 
  of 
  mud, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  looks 
  like 
  a 
  dab 
  of 
  mud 
  

   accidentally 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  wall. 
  When 
  the 
  cell 
  is 
  finished 
  it 
  is 
  

   filled 
  with 
  small 
  spiders 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  twenty. 
  Spiders 
  

   are 
  the 
  regular 
  prey 
  of 
  the 
  Pelopoens, 
  but 
  Home 
  has 
  also 
  

   seen 
  it 
  store 
  small 
  green 
  caterpillars. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  pupa 
  state 
  it 
  remains 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  six 
  months 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  Pelopeous 
  bilineatus. 
  

  

  Unlike 
  P. 
  Madraspatanus, 
  this 
  form 
  does 
  not 
  frequent 
  

   houses, 
  but 
  builds 
  on 
  hedges 
  and 
  trees, 
  a 
  favourite 
  position 
  

   being 
  a 
  fork 
  in 
  the 
  bough 
  of 
  Lawsonia 
  spinosa. 
  As 
  a 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  exposed 
  situation 
  chosen 
  for 
  its 
  nests,. 
  

   these 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  solidly 
  built. 
  

  

  Smith 
  thinks 
  that 
  P. 
  bilineatus 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  

   Madraspatanus 
  . 
  

  

  