34 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



with her mouth and anterior legs, and went back from the open- 

 ing some little distance, when it was dropped and she at once 

 went in again. While in the burrow we could hear her hum- 

 ming, just as the Pelopaei do when, head downward in the wet 

 mud, thej gather their load for nest-building. In five or six 

 trips a little mass of earth would accumulate, and then she would 

 lie quite flat on the heap and kick the particles away in all di- 

 rections. As the work progressed the earth was carried further 

 and further away before it was placed on the ground, and as 

 she backed in different directions the material brought out was 

 well spread about from the down-hill side of the nest. Some- 

 times she would spend several moments in smoothing the debris 

 all around so that the opening presented much the appearance 

 of an immense ant-hill, only the particles were much larger. 

 During the first hour that we watched her she frequently turned 

 directly toward us, and, sometimes remaining on the ground and 

 sometimes rising on her wings to a level with our faces, appeared 

 to be eyeing us intently for four or five seconds. Her attitude 

 was comical and she seemed to be saying, "Well, what are you 

 hanging around here for?" 



As the afternoon wore on she worked more calmly and her 

 fidgety and excited manner disappeared, the excavation progress- 

 ing steadily until half -past three. At that time she came out 

 and walked slowly about in front of her nest and all around it. 

 Then she rose and cii-cled just above it, gradually widening her 

 circle, now going further afield and now flying in and out 

 among the plants and bushes in the immediate vicinity. The 

 detailed survey of every little object near her nest was remark- 

 able and not until her tour of observation had carried her five 

 times entirely around the spot did she appear satisfied and fly 

 away. All her actions showed that she was studying the local- 

 ity and getting her bearings before taking her departure. (PL 

 511., fig. 1-2.) A fact that impressed us very much was 

 that with the two nests that she had begun and then deserted 

 she had taken no such precaution, but simply came up and flew 

 off. Had she made up her mind, if we may be allowed to use 



