44 



psrcHE. 



[March 1S94. 



Iioney, those nearest the surface being 

 provisioned first, those at the bottom 

 last. The period of development from 

 egg to imago is about five weeks, so 

 that imagos issue all tlirough July and 

 August. 



The genera Cilissa Leach, Nomia 

 Latr. and Halictus Latr. have similar 

 habits. 



The nests of Auglochlora pura, as 

 recorded by Say (Bost. Journ., v. i, 

 1S37, p. 397) were found in the soft, 

 decomposing sap-wood of the oak antl 

 hickory, between the bark and the 

 solid wood. 



The cells are oval, horizontal, not sym- 

 metrically disposed though many are paral- 

 lel. These cells are composed of par- 

 ticles of the decayed wood agglutinated 

 together. Each cell contains one individual 

 subsisting on a 3'ellow-pollen. In the same 

 assemblage are the young of all ages to the 

 perfect insect. 



The habits of none of our species of 

 Prosapis and CoUetes have been 

 observed. 



A Dipteron Miltogra7nnia punctata 

 has been reared from Colletes in 

 Europe. 



Family III. Crabronidae. This 

 family is represented in our fauna by 

 over one hundred species, unequally dis- 

 tributed in seven genera. The species, 

 according to the "records," exhibit the 

 greatest diversity in their habits. West- 

 wood says, "Those whose economy has 

 been clearly traced make their cells 

 in wood, boring into palings, posts, 

 willows, stumps, etc." 



No observations have been made on 

 our species belonging to the genus 

 Oxybelus, but in Europe they are found 

 to burrow in sand and to provision 

 their nests with dipterous insects. 

 Verhoeff states that the species in this 

 genus do not paralyze their prey by 

 stinging like most other fossorial wasps 

 as thev are unable to do so on account 

 of the rigidity of the abdomen, but 

 instead they crush the thorax with the 

 mandibles just beneath the wings, the 

 centre of the nervous ganglia. He 

 found in one nest a dozen flies (Hj-dro- 

 taea) and all had their thorax crushed 

 and were dead. According to Fabre 

 Oxybelus makes no use of its mandi- 

 bles and legs in carrying its prey, but 

 instead carries it home on its sting ! 

 The genus in Europe is parasitized by 

 Miltogi-anima conica. 



Shuckard tells us that Crabro cepha- 

 lotes "employs its mandibles in 

 forming a cylindrical cell in decaying 

 trees passing the particles of wood 

 beneath them and ejecting them 

 behind bv means of the spines on the 

 posterior tibiae" ; Latreille that Crabro 

 cribarins provisions its nest with the 

 larva of Tortrix chlorana, which 

 feeds upon the oak. This last differs, 

 however, from Shuckard's observations, 

 who found this species, as well as C. 

 patellatus and other species, storing 

 their nests with Diptera. Crabro leu- 

 costoma was observed by VVestwood 

 making its burrow in rotten wood and 

 provisioning with Anthoviyia pltivia- 

 lis ; he also relates that a Crabronid 

 nest given to him by Mr. Pickering, 



