﻿SOLITARY 
  WASP 
  — 
  REINHARD. 
  365 
  

  

  NESTING 
  SITES. 
  

  

  An 
  uncemented 
  brick 
  walk 
  which 
  surrounds 
  the 
  main 
  building 
  of 
  

   Woodstock 
  College, 
  Woodstock, 
  Md., 
  was 
  a 
  favorite 
  nesting 
  site 
  for 
  

   Philanthw 
  gibbosus. 
  The 
  wasps 
  tunneled 
  down 
  between 
  the 
  bricks 
  

   and 
  built 
  their 
  cells 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  beneath. 
  The 
  greater 
  number 
  had 
  

   selected 
  a 
  portion 
  of-the 
  path 
  which 
  was 
  sheltered 
  from 
  the 
  rain 
  by 
  a 
  

   wide, 
  projecting 
  balcony. 
  Though 
  it 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   building 
  and 
  received 
  only 
  the 
  late 
  afternoon 
  sun, 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  

   about 
  35 
  yards 
  was 
  strewn 
  with 
  the 
  excavated 
  sand 
  of 
  nearly 
  a 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  burrows. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  curious 
  instance 
  of 
  phototaxis 
  that 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  every 
  burrow 
  opened 
  toward 
  the 
  light 
  ; 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  door- 
  

   way 
  was 
  found 
  which 
  faced 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  building. 
  This 
  colony 
  

   was 
  kept 
  under 
  observation 
  for 
  two 
  years, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  here 
  that 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  information 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  was 
  gathered. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  broad 
  eaves 
  of 
  another 
  building 
  a 
  second 
  group 
  of 
  

   nearly 
  30 
  Philanthi 
  had 
  settled 
  close 
  together 
  in 
  tenement 
  fashion 
  

   in 
  a 
  spot 
  of 
  hard 
  ground 
  which 
  bore 
  a 
  scant 
  growth 
  of 
  chickweed 
  and 
  

   foxtail 
  grass. 
  

  

  A 
  smaller 
  colony, 
  numbering 
  about 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  nests, 
  had 
  also 
  be- 
  

   come 
  established 
  in 
  the 
  hard-packed 
  clay 
  of 
  a 
  tennis 
  court; 
  another 
  

   group 
  chose 
  a 
  bare 
  slope 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  grove 
  of 
  trees. 
  

  

  Isolated 
  nests 
  were 
  likewise 
  found, 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  a 
  lawn, 
  

   and 
  several 
  others 
  along 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  a 
  roadway. 
  

  

  THE 
  BURROW. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  wasp's 
  activity, 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June 
  

   to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September, 
  small 
  scattered 
  heaps 
  of 
  sand 
  upon 
  the 
  

   loose 
  bricks 
  of 
  the 
  path 
  betray 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  storerooms 
  of 
  

   Philanthus. 
  One 
  might 
  at 
  first 
  credit 
  the 
  heaps 
  to 
  the 
  home 
  build- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  ubiquitous 
  ant, 
  but 
  these 
  piles 
  of 
  sand 
  are 
  flat 
  and 
  spread- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  form 
  such 
  a 
  neat 
  architectural 
  dome 
  as 
  the 
  ants 
  are 
  

   wont 
  to 
  erect. 
  Should 
  you 
  chance 
  to 
  find 
  Philanthus 
  at 
  work 
  on 
  her 
  

   burrow 
  you 
  would 
  see 
  her 
  backing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  with 
  a 
  load 
  of 
  

   moist 
  sand, 
  which 
  she 
  pushes 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  tunnel 
  and 
  then 
  spreads 
  

   over 
  the 
  heap 
  with 
  queer 
  little 
  jerks 
  of 
  her 
  front 
  legs. 
  During 
  the 
  

   proceedings 
  she 
  stands 
  on 
  her 
  four 
  hind 
  feet, 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  spread 
  

   widely 
  apart, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  front 
  ones 
  scoops 
  up 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  shoots 
  

   it 
  backward 
  beneath 
  the 
  arch 
  of 
  her 
  body. 
  It 
  falls 
  far 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  

   in 
  rapid, 
  dusty 
  jets, 
  and 
  with 
  each 
  strenuous 
  dig 
  and 
  toss 
  the 
  wasp 
  

   teeters 
  sharply 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  like 
  a 
  toy 
  rocking-horse. 
  The 
  front 
  

   tarsi 
  are 
  often 
  the 
  main 
  fossorial 
  tools 
  of 
  a 
  wasp, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  

   Philanthus 
  (fig. 
  2), 
  with 
  their 
  spadelike 
  calcaria, 
  are 
  well 
  equipped 
  

   for 
  their 
  work. 
  

  

  