April 1S94. 



PSYCHE. 



63 



and the larva spins the cover of fine silk, 

 dresses it with sand and then spins over the 

 whole inside of its cocoon with a layer of 

 fine silk so as not to scratch its fine thin 

 skin. A circle indicates where the cover is 

 fastened on. The cover loosens at this circle 

 when the Bembex is ready to crawl out. 

 This cocoon is water-tight. The larva 

 chan)jes skin after closing up its cocoon, 

 becomes smaller and smaller and turns 

 yellow, the head bends down under the 

 thorax and it then hibernates. 



Fabre has overlooked that the cocoon has 

 about its middle a circle of 8 or 10 small 

 holes and correspondingly on the inside as 

 many small silk pads as covers. Under- 

 neath these pads are fine pits with elegantly 

 polished sides, the bottom of these pits 

 being perforated by a very minute hole that 

 from the outside looks like a black puncture. 

 Directly under the bottoin is the dark brown 

 sand cocoon. 



What role have these communications 

 played during the larval state.' 



Mr. Wesenberg's explanation is that when 

 tlie larva has closed its cell it goes into a 

 pseudo-pupa stage, and that within its body 

 there still remains some particles of undi- 

 gested food, which require air and oxygen 

 for digestion, and that these holes are made 

 purposely by the larva for admitting air, 

 and just before the final papal stage it closes 

 them up, before spinning the silken pupal 

 covering. 



Family X. Larridae. This is 

 another family of digger-wasps, but 

 with the species much more numerous 

 although not so showy or highly 

 colored as those in the preceding 

 family. Several genera and between 

 60 and 70 species are known in our 

 fauna. 



The genus Tachytes Panzer com- 

 prise most of the hirger forms. The 



European Tachytes pompilijormis Pz., 

 according to Shuckard, provisions its 

 cells with sinall Lepidopterous larvae 

 which is contrary to what has been 

 observed of the species in America. 



Mr. Wm. H. Patton, in Ent. news, 

 vol. 3, p. go, states that Tachytes 

 7nandih2tlaris Pttn. is common at 

 Hartford, Ct., "forming hillocks three 

 or four inches in height and the same 

 in breadth of base, upon the sidewalks 

 and lawns about September first. It 

 stores up Xiphidium for its brood." 



Mr D. W. Coquillett tells me in 

 California he has observed Tachytes 

 riifofasciaius Cr. storing its cells with 

 young grasshoppers Melatioplus cyan- 

 ipes ; while Tachytes ha r pax preys 

 upon Xiphidiiini brevipenne. 



Dr. Riley, in Rep. U. .S. ent. comm., 

 vol. i, p. 317, states that Larra 

 {Larroda) semiriifa Cr. is rejiorted to 

 capture young Alelanophis spretus ; 

 while according to his MS. notes 

 Larra terf?ii>iata preys upon Chorto- 

 phaga viridlfasciata. 



In the south, I have seen Larra 

 argoitata provision its cells with a 

 small immature cricket, which it com- 

 pletely paralyzes before storing away 

 in its clay cell. From a single cell, I 

 have taken as many as six of the small 

 crickets. 



Mr. Patton (1. c. supra) says that 

 Lyroda subita Say "is peculiar for its 

 non-fossorial tarsi ; and its method of 

 carrying Nemobius, which it catches 

 to feed its young is interesting. It 

 holds the cricket by clasping the base 

 of the antennae between its mandibles 



