64 



PSYCHE. 



[April 1S94. 



and clypeus, the minute teeth here 

 preventing the antennae from slipping 

 —this explains the use of the teetli on 

 clypeus." 



The species in the genus Astata 

 Latr. prey upon Homopterous insects 

 belonging to the Pentatomidae. The 

 European Astata boops vSchr. preys 

 upon the nymphs of Picromerns bidens 

 Linn., Palomena viridessima Poda 

 and P. dissimilis Fabr., while in Cali- 

 fornia Mr. D. W. Coquillett has 

 taken Astata nubecula Cr. in October, 

 preving upon Thyaiita rugulosa Say 

 and storing them in a burrow formed 

 in a limestone formation. 



Family XL Ampulicidae. In 

 this small family only a single species, 

 Rhinopsis canaliculata Say, is found 

 in the United States. It is exceedingly 

 rare and nothing is known of its habits, 

 but it has probably similar habits to its 

 oriental cousin Ampulex compressum 

 Fabr., which preys upon cockroaches. 



Family XII. Sphecidae. The 

 species, in this family, vary greatly in 

 size and habits. It is represented in our 

 fauna bv about So species distributed in 

 9 genera, and some curious mistakes 

 have been made about them both as 

 regards the unity of habits in the species 

 and their mode of living. 



The genus Sphex Linn, preys upon 

 young Acridiidae and Locustidae. Dr. 

 Packard has observed Sphex ichueu- 

 fiionca L. in Massachusetts in the last 

 week of July and during August and 

 early in September, digging their lioles 

 in a gravelly walk. 



The holes were four to six inches deep. 

 In beginning its hole the wasp dragged aw;i_v 

 with its teeth a stone one half as large as 

 itself to a distance of eight inches from the 

 hole, while it pushed away others with its 

 head. In beginning its burrow it used its 

 large and powerful jaws almost entirely, dig- 

 ging to the depth of an inch in five minutes, 

 completing its hole in about half an hour. 

 After having inserted its head into the hole, 

 where it loosened the earth with its jaws and 

 fore legs, it would retreat backwards and push 

 the dirt still farther back from the mouth of 

 the cell with its hind legs. Just as soon as it 

 reached the required depth the wasp flew a 

 few feet to the adjoining bark and falling 

 upon an Orchelumtm vulgare or O. gracile 

 stung and paralyzed it instantly, bore it to 

 its nest and was out of sight in a moment, 

 and while in the bottom of its hole must 

 have deposited its egg in its victim. Re- 

 appearing it began to draw the sand back 

 into the hole scratching it in quite briskly by 

 means of its spiny fore tarsi, while standing 

 on its two hind pairs of legs. It thus threw 

 in half an inch of dirt upon the grasshopper 

 and then flew oft'. 



This is probablv the case with all the 

 species in this genus, only I think tliev 

 must provision their nests with more 

 than one locust. 



Mr. J. Angus, according to Dr. 

 Packard, has reared Isodontia tibialis 

 St. Fargeau from a cavity previously 

 tunnelled by Xylocopa virgi)iica. 

 This shows the species of this genus 

 have diflerent habits from Spkex^ and 

 is still further supported by an obser- 

 vation of Mr. D. W. Coquillett's, who 

 tells me Isodontia elegans Pattn. in 

 California preys upon Oecanthus niveiis 

 DeGeer. 



