The Hunting Wasps 



accidents of the chase, capture Weevils vary- 

 ing infinitely in genus, species, shape and di- 

 mensions. It has long been known that Cer- 

 ceris arenaria feeds her grubs on similar pro- 

 visions. I myself have encountered in her 

 lairs Sitona lineata, S. tibialis, Cneorinus his- 

 pidus, Brachyderes gracilis, Geonemiis flabel- 

 lipes and Otiorhynchus maleficus. Cerceris 

 aurita is known to make her booty of Otio- 

 rhynciis raiicus and Phynotomus piinctatus. 

 The larder of Cerceris Ferreri has shown me 

 the following: Phynotomus miiriniis, P. piinc- 

 tatus, Sitona lineata, Cneorinus hispidus, 

 Rhynchites betuleti. The last, who rolls 

 vine-leaves in the shape of cigars, is some- 

 times a superb steel-blue and more ordinarily 

 shines with a splendid golden copper. I have 

 found as many as seven of these brilliant in- 

 sects victualling a single cell; and the gaudl- 

 ness of the little subterranean heap might al- 

 most stand comparison with the jewels buried 

 by the Buprestis-huntress. Other species, 

 notably the weaker, go in for lesser game, 

 whose small size is atoned for by larger num- 

 bers. Thus Cerceris quadricincta stacks quite 

 thirty specimens of Apion gravidum in each 

 of her cells, without disdaining on occasion 

 such larger Weevils as Sitona lineata and 

 28 



