1922] Taylor — Biology of Wasps of Genus Ancistrocerus 51 



The two nests built by wasps of this species did not dijffer 

 greatly from each other or from those constructed by the other 

 wasps noted in this paper. Wasp No. 2 built her nest (Fig. 1) 

 in a tube which had an inside diameter of 7.5 millimeters. It 

 contained four cells whose respective lengths were as follows: 

 cell No. 1^ 14mm.; No. 2, 8 mm.; No. 3, 6 mm.; and No. 4, 

 5 mm. In each cell at about two millimeters from the inner wall 

 was suspended from above by means of a fine thread about a 

 millimeter in length a white, glistening egg. The egg, which 

 resembled almost exactly eggs of other members of this genus 

 which I have observed, was about 2.5 mm. long, subcylindricab 

 concave dorsally (?) and convex ventrally (?) (Fig. 3). In some 

 cells it hung freely; in others, where the provisions were more 

 tightly packed, it was pushed firmly against the upper wall of 

 the cell. Cell No. 1 was provided with ten caterpillars, No. 2 

 with six, No. 3 with three and No. 4 also with three. The cater- 

 pillars were of uniform size, about 12 mm. long and all appeared 

 to be of the same species, probably of the family Tortricidae- 

 They were imperfectly paralyzed and responded to mechanical 

 stimulus by quick, jerky movements of the abdomen. The head 

 and thorax, however, seemed little capable of movement, the 

 mouth parts and legs scarcely responding to the touch. It 

 would seem then that the sting of the wasp must be introduced 

 in the region of the thorax, thus bringing about partial paralysis 

 of the parts which might tend to injure the egg or young wasp. 



The cells of the nest were separated by partitions one milli- 

 meter in thickness, constructed of earth of a fine clayey consis- 

 tency and moistened with water (and perhaps secretions) to 

 form a cement which at first had a brownish color but became 

 gray after drying. The partitions were not laid with precision 

 transversely in the tube, but were often irregular with a slight 

 oblique tilt. The inner surfaces of the partitions appeared more 

 rough than the outer surfaces, due to their having been smoothed 

 out by the wasp's mandibles. In constructing these partitions 

 the wasp first lays down the rim, flattening out her first lump of 



4In designating the cells of a particular nest the numbers i, 2, 3 etc. refer to the order in 

 which the cells were constructed by the wasp. Thus the innermost cell is no. i, the next, no. 2 

 and so on. 



