V. THE BUG-HTJNTERS. 



(a) Bembex Belfragei, Cr., the Big Bug-Hunteh. 



Four times during the season I had the pleasure of observing in- 

 dividuals of this interesting species at work. The species is rather 

 a common one, and I should have observed more individuals had I 

 had time. She is enjoyable company, for she does not object to one 

 being near her. Her prey, however, I should think, might consist 

 of a more inviting kind than the bug she captures, being stink- 

 bugs at that. 



B. belfragei is one of the first solitary wasps I saw in the field 

 and is chiefly responsible for inducing me to spend several weeks 

 among them. I came upon the first specimen on July 16th at 9 :12 

 o'clock a. m. digging her nest in a wagon track. She had already 

 made considerable progress in her work, for she seemed to bring the 

 sand from some depth. She would remain out of sight for thirty to 

 fifty seconds, then push up a load of sand and kick it out of the 

 entrance. Fifteen to twenty seconds she would spend on the surface 

 scattering the sand away from the entrance, as is more extensively 

 the habit of Bembex tex. and Monedula Carolina. When at work 

 digging B. belfragei cuts about the same figure as B. texanus de- 

 scribed above. The tibise and tarsi of the front legs with their long 

 spines are used to scratch the sand and throw it back under the 

 wasp's body. Each time the head goes down, a single stroke of the 

 leg is given and not several, as is the case with Bembex texanus. 



Once a Mutilled, five or six species of which are common in the 

 woods, came running along the wagon-track, looked into the nest 

 and greatly excited the owner, for the latter flew up with an angry 

 buzz, darted at the intruder and put her to flight. 



At 11 :40 the wasp began to interrupt her work by rising into 

 the air, circling several times^ settling some distance from the nest 

 and then returning to work. She repeated this three or four times ; 

 finally at 11 :47 she came up from her nest, headforemost, instead of 

 backwards, with sand, as she had been doing. She then closed up the 

 entrance by scratching in sand until the entrance was covered flush 

 with the surface and then flew away. After an absence of twenty- 

 eight minutes, she returned and entered the nest without my seeing 



