64 Some Solitary Wasps of Texas. 



The greatest surprise was, however, yet in store for me. With a 

 pick axe I dug a hole about a foot deep at a safe distance from the 

 nest and witli a trowel worked away the hard earth carefully in the 

 direction of the nest so as to lay it open and yet not injure the 

 grasshopper or tl.e egg upon it. To my surprise I came upon a nest 

 sooner than I had expected; to my still greater surprise the grass- 

 hopper had not an egg but a good-sized larva upon it. A second nest 

 was then revealed and a third and so on until eight had been opened 

 and I had lying before me a collection of nine caterpillars, including 

 the one not yet stored. All the nests were scattered over a space not 

 larger than half of this page. The chamber was oblong (long axis 

 horizontal), about two inches in length by Vo to y^ inch across and 

 two inches below the surface. Some of the chambers were so close 

 that they had but a ^/4 inch wall between them. Just at what point 

 the tunnel (which measured % inch in diameter) entered the cham- 

 ber, I could not exactly determine but think that it come off of one 

 end, which would make the shape of Thomae's nest nearly like that 

 of Ammophila procera. (Fig. 22.) 



In each case the egg or larva had an exactly similar position on 

 the locust. This was just above the coxa of the hind leg (which in 

 one case was torn away) i. e., between the articulation of the coxa 

 and the locust's "ear.'' The only variation in this regard was that 

 in four cases the egg or larva was placed on the right and in four 

 on the left side of the locust. 



The egg of P. Tliomae is slender and about 7 mm. in length. It 

 arches from its point of attachment over the coxa of the hind leg, 

 which, though the free end of the egg touches it, cannot easily in- 

 jure it no matter how much the locust may be kicking. The egg is 

 yellow with the exception of the two hyaline ends. Its anterior 

 third is white and the extreme attached end is a watery hyaline 

 disc. Like the egg of Ammophila, that of Prionomjx does not 

 seem to hatch. The first indication I perceived of larval life was 

 the appearance of tracheal tubes down each side and later the suck- 

 ing movements on the inside of the translucent larva. 



Below I give the data on the condition of the nine locusts found 

 Oct. 9th and the development of the larva : 



No. 1. — Locust not yet stored. Dead when found. 



No. 2. — Locust kicks violently without stimulation. On touching, 

 it will jump two feet. Egg dead. Locust lived four days. 



No. 3. — Locust twitched spqntaneously from time to time as long 



