Some Solitary Wasps of Texas. 15 



around a while and finally picked up the chip which it had taken 

 out last and replaced it in the tunnel, reaching down as far as 

 possible to press it in. This plug of wood probably served as a 

 shelf to receive the bits of rubbisli and the sand with which the 

 tunnel was now being filled. Dry leaves and twigs were dropped 

 into the hole and sand scratched in on top of these while all was 

 stuffed down with the head. In eleven minutes the nest was filled 

 and smoothed over. Amniophila then flew away and returned three 

 times, remaining away eight minutes at a time. The nest which 

 the mother wasp was soon to leave forever, seemed to have had a 

 strange attraction for her. The last time she returned (at 10:27) 

 she carried pieces of leaves and earth over the nest as if she wished 

 to obliterate every trace of the work. 



This small Ammophila, having to bring in three caterpillars, 

 which necessitates making three hunting trips to store the nest, is, 

 of course, benefited by closing up the nest each time before de- 

 parting to keep out the flies and Mutillids bent on mischief. Her 

 larger sisters are powerful enough to carry off the largest cater- 

 pillars ; they therefore capture a single victim large enough to sup- 

 ply the larva and so have no need to close the nest while on the 

 hunt, which may occupy from two to five hours. 



It is a strange sight to see a large Ammophila carry her heavy 

 burden home to the nest. The grass green caterpillar and the 

 slender black wasp with her red metallic wings and abdomen girdled 

 with bright red form a marked contrast to the grey sand over 

 which they glide. It is a sight that never fails to excite one's in- 

 terest to the utmost. One can not but admire the wasp for her 

 immense strength and wonder that so small a creature can carry 

 such a load. In spite of the disproportion between the wasp and 

 the boat shaped burden, her rate of progress is rapid enough for she 

 travels along at the rate of ten feet a minute over sticks, clumps of 

 grass and inequalities of the surface. (Fig. 16.) 



The most wonderful thing about Ammophila, however, is thft 

 almost unerring manner with which she finds her way back to the 

 nest. Sometimes, it is true, she will drop her burden temporarily 

 to fly away and assure herself that she is on the right road. But 

 usually she will march on uninterruptedly in one general direction 

 and come exactly to her nest in spite of the hundreds of crooks and 

 turns around the various obstructions in her path. 



Having arrived at the nest the caterpillar is laid down and the 

 wasp goes inside to see that the way is clear and to determine 



