Some Solitary Wasps of Texas. 51 



of her own individual cells but builds a plug over the opening to 

 the large chamber just as the original proprietor would have done, 

 thus offering an additional rampart to her enemies. 



The dirt which Agenia uses is taken from the very nest in which 

 she is building her own. This makes it very convenient for her, 

 of course. She gnaws off her pellets, moistening the dirt as she 

 works. As I have observed in the case of Trypoxylon the supply 

 of water necessary for moistening so large an amount of dry dirt 

 must soon give out. So after a number of trips Agenia, like 

 Trypoxylon, flies away to get a drink of water and then returns 

 to resume her work. She wisely economizes in her use of water 

 by returning each time to the same spot, moistened by the previous 

 visit, for each successive load. 



A considerable number of dirt-dauber's nests were thus occupied 

 by the new tenants. Owing to the lateness of the season many 

 contained pupse waiting in their clean white cocoons for the ad- 

 vent of spring. Of the five spiders examined one remained in 

 possession of all its appendages, one had the left hind one cut off, 

 another had missing three hind legs on the right side, a fourth had 

 only its front pair left and a fifth had lost all its legs. All the 

 spiders were Attids of the same species. 



In each of the above cases of spiders deprived of legs, death had 

 ensued even before the storing of the victim. I have, however, 

 found mud cells containing mutillated spiders that were very much 

 alive when found. In the spring of 1903, I found under the bark 

 of an elm, a single cylindrical mud cell containing a young leg- 

 less Attid that snugly filled the cell. This spider was alive and 

 remained alive for at least a week. On October 21st, I found 

 two cells under a stone, one of which contained a Clubionid, that 

 lacked the hind pair of legs and the two anterior ones on the right 

 side. It was not only alive, but would cling to a pencil held close 

 to it and would bite at it. The spider remained alive until the 

 larva began feeding. The egg was attached to the riglit side of 

 the abdomen near the pedicil and there the larva on hatching at- 

 tached itself and began eating. The pupa was spun November 

 5th. 



The amputation habits of Agenia are interesting not only be- 

 cause of the rareness of the habit among wasps, but because it 

 seemed to have developed in this genus as the regular method of 

 procedure. 



