24 Soms Solitary Wasps of Texas. 



(3) Twelve small queens of ants. These had been dead for 

 some time. They all probably came from the same spot, as they 

 were brought home in quick succession. The nest was left open 

 while the queens were brought in, which is an exceptional thing for 

 Microbemhex to do. 



(4) Large red ant. (Pogonomyrmex Apadne.) I once saw a 

 Microbemhex pick up one of these fierce species and fly with it to a 

 mesquit bush. There she hung from a twig by her front legs and 

 held the ant with her other legs, while she bent her abdomen under 

 her in her attempt to apply her long protruding sting. The ant 

 seemed dead when I first saw the wasp pick.it up and had probably 

 been stung before; or the wasp may just have found the ant dead. 

 That Microbembex does attack the living ants seems probable from a 

 struggle I once saw between a wasp and two red ants, one of which 

 had probably fastened its hold upon the wasp at the start until 

 joined by the companion. The wasp was evidently dead when I took 

 the two into a bottle with some sand. As I turned the bottle and 

 so covered the insects with sand, the ants crawled to the surface and 

 ifiimediately began to dig down again to pull forth their dying ad- 

 versary. 



(5) Flies of various kinds, particularly S}Tphids. On one occa- 

 sion I noticed a wasp fly to a weed and hang there by one of her 

 hind feet while with the remaining five she held an apparently dead 

 Syrphid. I could approach very close to her and could see how she 

 held the fly and alternately apply her mandibles and proboscis to the 

 fly's thorax. It is probable that Microbembex was this time enjoying 

 a little fly-juice for herself. Her action reminded me of Odynerus 

 dorsalxs which hung from a bush in the same manner and chewed a 

 caterpillar, which she never does when this is intended for her 

 larvae. Most solitary wasps suck the nectar of flowers for their sus- 

 tenance. 



While Microbemhex was working on the fly, she several times 

 dropped it and found it again without any trouble, knowing evident- 

 ly that the fly was to be found on a plumb-line from where it was 

 dropped. Once when the wind blew the fly out of the plumb-line, 

 the wasp had some difficulty in finding it, as she persistently search- 

 ed where the fly should have been. Thus spider-catchers have 

 learned to find their spiders if these fall straight down from the 

 place where they have been lodged. 



(6) Bugs belonging to five or six different species and varying 



