344 INSECTS AT HOME. 



something that is too restless to stand still. It is a sand-lover, 

 and sand-pits and their neighbourhood are good localities 

 wherein to search for it. Mr. F. Smith states that he has 

 taken it in plenty on Hampstead Heath during the end of July 

 and August. It is not, however, a common species, being one 

 of the many local insects that are plentiful enough in the place 

 which they frequent, but not to be found out of certain limited 

 districts. 



The female prefers the hard to the loose sand, and makes 

 therein a tunnel, some four or five inches in depth, stocking it 

 with different insects. According to Mr. Smith the Astata 

 generally selects for this purpose the larvae of one of the field- 

 bugs (Pentatorifia), but he has seen it carrying a hymenop- 

 terous insect, belonging to the genus Oxybelus. Only two 

 British species of Astata are at present known. 



The family of the Nyssonidas are easily distinguished from 

 the preceding family by the jaws and the legs. The mandibles 

 are not waved beneath, and all the legs are moderately spined. 

 A rather pretty and very interesting example of this family is 

 given on Woodcut XXXIV. Fig. 3. Its name is Mellinus 

 arvensis. 



In this genus the head is not wider than the thorax, and the 

 eyes are large and oval. These large eyes are used to some 

 purpose, as we shall presently see. The front pair of wings 

 have one marginal and four submarginal cells, the fourth ex- 

 tending to the tip of the wing. The abdomen is long, and its 

 first segment is so drawn out as to form a sort of footstalk by 

 which it is attached to the abdomen. The colour of the insect 

 is black, diversified with yellow feet, and four yellow bands on 

 the abdomen. It is one of the commonest of its kind, and by 

 the following extract the reader will see how to search for and 

 catch it. Mr. F. Smith gives the following graphic account of 

 the Mellinus in his ' Catalogue of British Hymenoptera in the 

 British Museum.' 



' Having frec^uently observed the habits of the tyjDe of this 

 genus, Mellinus arvensis, and reared it from the larval state, 

 a few observations are here required. When the parent insect 

 lias found a burrow of the required length, and enlarged the 

 extiemity into a chamber of proper dimensions, she issues forth 



