VIII. TRYPOXYLON TEXENSE (SOTJSS), A PET OF THE 



HOUSEHOLD. 



Several species of Ti-ypoxylon have been admirably described by 

 Mr. and Mrs. Peckham in their delightful book already frequently 

 referred to. I would not presume to attempt to improve in any 

 way on their accoimt of this so well "domesticated" genus; yet I 

 hope that the few new observations here presented on the Texas 

 species may be of interest to the reader. 



The many scattered notes I have made on the doings of T. texense 

 agree in essentials with the observations set forth in the work just 

 cited. In disposition the southern species is also amiable and good 

 tempered and is most tolerant of the actions which curiosity prompts 

 the observer to take, up to the point of destroying the nest itself. 

 The male of texense, when present, remains faithfully on guard in 

 the nest during the absence of the female. I have found a large 

 proportion of the nests without males; in such cases the female 

 went on with her household duties as well as when joined by her 

 vespine consort. In one case a male remained alternately on guard 

 in two contiguous nests; when both females returned at once the 

 male exliibited more than the usual amount of excitement in spite 

 of the fact that neither female paid any attention to him. On the 

 presence of the male in the nest of these wasps I shall perhaps in a 

 later paper have more to say, for I believe the subject worthy of 

 further investigation. 



In the selection of a nidus texense exhibits the same habits as 

 ruhrocinctum, occupying almost any small crevices in wooden or 

 stone walls. Beetle burrows in the cedar posts of log cabins along 

 the Colorado Eiver are nearly all occupied by T. texense. Fig. 23 

 represents a pair of these wasps occupying a cell of an old mud- 

 dauber's nest. I have found it very convenient to attract the wasps 

 by setting out for them blocks of wood with holes bored in them. 

 The wasps will make use of borings one-half inch in diameter but 

 prefer tubes of smaller calibre. It does not seem to make much 

 difference whether the tube is horizontal or vertical, both condi- 

 tions being acceptable. I have found several two-story nests in 



