Some Solitary Wasps of Texas. 55 



had its claws so thoroughly entangled in its web that the wasp was 

 forced to desist. 



After stinging this spider the wasp spent five or six minutes 

 flying about, resting on the rafters or running up and down the 

 walls. At the end this time she disappeared behind the head- 

 casing of a door where another spider had sperad its web. Pres- 

 ently the wasp came forth dragging the spider backwards over its 

 ovra web with her mandibles fastened to one of its front coxae. 

 The spider was deposited a few inches below the edge of the casing 

 on the margin of its own web and the egg laid upon it. At 3 :07 

 the wasp was out and flew airily about and in a minute was off 

 and away. At 3 :20 she returned to the first spider on which, after 

 removing it, I found an egg. I can not say whether she laid the 

 egg at the first or at the second visit. In either case it is certain 

 that two eggs were laid in less than fifteen minutes. 



The first spider never showed any signs of life but soon withered. 

 The egg died from an injury received in the handling. The sec- 

 ond spider lived till half consumed by the larva. This spun its 

 light cream-colored cocoon (which turned yellow in a few weeks) 

 ten days after the egg was laid. Late in August the adult emerged 

 by cutting and lifting a circular cap from one end of the cocoon 

 after the manner of Ichneumon flies. This specimen was a male 

 and it was tlierefore impossible to identify the species. 



(d) MiscoPHUS Sp? 



Nearly all kinds and sizes of spiders have their wasp enemies, 

 from the giant tarantula, which is hunted by the powerful Pepsis, 

 down to the young spiderlings captured by Miscophus. This spC'- 

 cies is a tiny black wasp hardly four mm. in length but very active 

 for her size and just as 'bright" as any of her big sisters. 



She digs her nest with mandibles and forefeet like most digger- 

 wasps. She is not particular about cleaning away the sand from 

 in front of her nest for any great distance while she is busy dig- 

 ging it, with the result that the sand kicked out collects in a semi- 

 circle in front of the nest. When the nest is completed and ready 

 for occupancy and, indeed, when it is left temporarily, it is usu- 

 ally carefully closed with sand and the surface in a radius of sev- 

 eral inches is often smoothed over in a neat and tidy manner. She 

 is extremely sensitive to one's presence. When she is carrying a 



