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black. Legs black and hairy ; the hinder ones being furnished with two remarkable long spines at the 

 tips of the tibiffi. Tai-si, particularly those of the hinder legs, furnished with veiy strong hairs, or rather 

 bristles at each of the joints ; pale yellow-coloured. 



I should have retained the specific name given to this insect by Drury, on account of its 

 priority, but it is so inappropriate, not only being- applicable to one sex alone, the female, 

 but the spines on the fore legs being found throughout the genus, as well as in nearly all the 

 burrowing HjTnenoptera. Fabricius has incorrectly referred this figure to his Scolia radula, 

 which has a spotted thorax. 



PELOP^US C^MENTARIUS. 



Plate XLIV. fig. 6. Imago — fig. 7. Cocoon — fig. 8. Imago taken out of the Cocoon. 

 Plate XLV. fig. 8. Nest — fig. 9. Section of the Nest — fig. 10. two Cocoons exposed. 



Order -. Hymenoptera. Section ; Fussores. Family : Spegidte. 



Genus. Pelopoeus, Latr. Fabr. Sphex, Linn. Drury. 



PELOP.Ens CiEMENTARlus. Abdomine petiolato nigro, segmento primo (exel. pe(hnic.) lunula flava thoraceque 

 punctis flavis, pedibus flavis posticorum femoribus apiceque tibiarum uigris. (Long. Corp. 1 une.) 



Syn. Sphex Csmentaria, Drury, App. vol. 2. 

 Pelopaeus lunatus, Fahr. Syst. Pie:. 203. 



Habitat; Jamaica, Antigua, St. Christopher's (Drury). "In America insulis, in India orientali frequens." 

 (Fabricii's, incorrectly ?) 



Head black and hairy. Antenna black, basal joint yellow. Thorax black, with short hairs on it, 

 but next the head yellow, having a yellow spot at the base of each wing, and another next the abdomen. 

 Wings brown, and almost transparent ; lying flat, not folded. Abdomen black and round, nearly as long 

 as the thorax ; basal segment (exclusive of the peduncle) yellow ; pointed at the tip, and anned with a 

 retractile sting. Peduncle very slender, black at top, and yellow underneath ; being nearly the length 

 of the thorax itself. Breast black. Fore and middle legs black next the body, but from the middle of 

 the thighs yellow. Hinder thighs and lower parts of the shins black, the remainder yellow. Claws 

 black. 



The following particulars relative to the economy of this species were communicated to 

 Mr. Drury from a correspondent in Antigua, who forwarded to him specimens of the insect. 



"This insect is called at Antigua, and several other places in the West Indies, the Mason 

 Fly, a name given it from the remarkable manner in which it builds its nest, or receptacle 

 for its young. 



" When the male and female have performed the business of copulation, their* next care 

 is to provide a proper habitation for raising and securing their future progeny ; to this end 

 they seek out a proper spot that is secure from rains, &c. and is so situated as to afford a 



• From our information respecting tlie habits of the indigenous and European species of Fossorial Hymenopterous insects, 

 including the Pelopaeus spirifex, it is evident tliat the male takes no share in the labour of constructing the nest. See my memoirs 

 upon this subject in the " Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France," for 1836, and the Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society of London, vol. i. for the same year, and the Memoirs of Saint Fargeau and Shuckard therein referred to. 



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