368 CLASS VIII. 
These insects are mostly coloured black with yellow spots and 
stripes. The anterior part of the head (clypeus) is beset with fine 
smooth hairs that often have a beautiful silvery or golden lustre. 
They lay their eggs in holes, which they excavate with their fore- 
feet, and place near them a provision of food (insects or spiders— 
every species appears to select by preference a definite kind), which 
they drag either with their jaws or their hind feet. LEPELETIER 
DE St. FarGEAU was of opinion that certain species whose fore-feet 
are not at all or only slightly haired, and hinder-feet without spines, — 
are unfit for digging, and that they lay their eggs in the holes of 
other species, like the cuckoo in the class of birds. But later 
observations oppose this; see Wxestwoop, Jntrod. to Mod. Classif. 11. 
pp. 188—190. 
Sp. Crabro cribrarius, Sphex cribraria L., DumMs&R. Cons. gén. s.l. Ins. Pl. 31, 
fic. 3; Panzer, Deutschl. Ins. Heft 15, Tab. 18,19 ; black ; a yellow trans- 
verse streak forward on the thorax, as also a small double spot on the 
middle of the thorax between the posterior wings and different transverse 
stripes, of which the two middlemost are interrupted in the middle; the 
tibice and tarsi of the same colour ; length 7 lines. The male of this, as of 
some other species, has on the tibize of the forefeet a disciform expansion, 
which on copulation serves to clasp the female. This disk has been taken 
for a sieve (from whence the specific name is borrowed), and the property 
of sifting the pollen of plants been recognised in the insect. (ROLANDER, 
Ventensk. Akad. Handlingar, Stockholm, 1751). This strange opinion owes 
its origin to the erroneous notion that the light transparent points seen on 
the disc are apertures; it was refuted by Dr Grrr (Mém. s. les Ins. 1. 
p. 818) and GorzE (Natursforscher 11. 1774, 8. 21—65). 
Nysson Latr. Antenne filiform. Abdomen conico-ovate or 
conical, broader at the base. Head moderate. The rest of the 
characters of the preceding genus. Mandibles entire. 
Sub-genera : Pison Sprnoua, Latr., Nitela Larr., Oxybelus Latr., 
JuRINnE, Vysson Latr., JuRINE, Astarte Late. (Dimorpha JuRINE.) 
Sp. Oxybelus wniglumis, Crabro uniglumis Panz., Deutschl. Ins. Heft 64, 
Tab. 44 ; GUERIN, Iconogr. Ins. Pl. 71, fig. 2, &e. 
Larra Fase. Prothorax short, transverse, linear, not extended 
as far as the origin of anterior wings. Feet short or moderate. 
Labrum concealed. Mandibles at the base deeply emarginate on 
the outer side. Abdomen conical. 
Dinetus JuRINE, Miscophus Jurtne, Larra Fawr. (in part), Latr., 
Lyrops Tu11e., Later. (Liris Fasr.), Palarus Latr., Dryudella Srt- 
NOLA, G'astrosericus ejusd. (Ann. de la Soc. entom. de France.) 
