248 



The males and oviparous females begiu to appear late in October. 

 These females differ somewhat in appearance from the others previously 

 observed, they being more elongate and pointed posteriorly. The color 

 does not materially differ, excei)t that the eggs show through the trans- 

 parent skin, appearing like indistinct, oblique, lighter lines. They may 

 be farther distinguished from the viviparous females by their position 

 upon the leaf, in which, instead of being perfectly natural, the body is 

 often thrown out at right angles to the leaf; in fact, so far as I have 

 observed, this is the rule and not the exception. The eggs are of a 

 glossy green immediately after deposition, but later turn to a jet black 

 color. 



THE LARGER DIGGER-WASP. 



By C. V. Riley. 



Fig. 32. — Female Sphecius carrying a Cicada to her hiirrow — natural size (original). 



One of the most common of our digger-wasps, as well as one of the 

 largest and most conspicuous, is the Sphecius speciosus, a brown-black 

 insect with yellow markings on its abdomen, and commonly known as 

 the Hornet. That it feeds in the larva state on our large Dog-day Har- 

 vest-fly or Cicada {Cicada pruinosa) has long been known to natural- 

 ists, but is not known to people generally, though the curious habit of 

 the wasp in seizing and straddling its larger victim and laboriously 

 climbing up some tree, from which it can take a descending flight to its 

 burrow, is frequently observed and rarely fails to elicit inquiry as to 

 what the pur^jose of the acts may be. In fact, almost every year some 

 one comes to me with a graphic description of the curious acts of this 

 wasp, which he has observed, and wants to know why she drags the 

 Cicada about so ruthlessly, instead of at once devouring it. Much might 

 be said about the intelligence which the female digger-wasp exhibits in 

 thus managing a victim much larger and heavier than herself, and 



