﻿SOLITARY 
  WASP 
  — 
  EEINHARD. 
  

  

  371 
  

  

  cell 
  a 
  moldering 
  harvest 
  of 
  bees 
  and 
  the 
  harvester's 
  corpse, 
  

   takes 
  Philanthus 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  labors. 
  

  

  Death 
  

  

  THE 
  PROBLEM 
  OP 
  THE 
  PREY. 
  

  

  Previous 
  observers 
  had 
  reported 
  that 
  Philanthus 
  provisioned 
  its 
  

   nest 
  with 
  bees 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Halictus 
  (sensu 
  latiore). 
  Ashmead 
  and 
  

   the 
  Peckhams 
  have 
  recorded 
  the 
  use 
  by 
  Philanthus 
  of 
  Helictus 
  clis 
  

   paralis 
  Cres. 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  Raus 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  wasp 
  took 
  H. 
  versatus 
  

   Robt., 
  H. 
  pruinosus 
  Robt., 
  and 
  H. 
  sparsus 
  Robt. 
  

  

  More 
  extensive 
  investigations 
  were 
  undertaken 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  to 
  

   determine 
  if 
  possible 
  whether 
  Philanthus 
  restricts 
  her 
  captures 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  to 
  Halictine 
  bees. 
  At 
  various 
  intervals 
  during 
  the 
  four 
  months 
  

   of 
  the 
  wasp's 
  activity 
  her 
  burrows 
  were 
  ransacked 
  and 
  rifled 
  of 
  their 
  

   contents. 
  The 
  loot 
  of 
  two 
  seasons 
  amounted 
  to 
  331 
  bees. 
  When 
  

   these 
  were 
  sorted 
  and 
  determined 
  they 
  comprised 
  22 
  species, 
  21 
  of 
  

   which 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Halictidae. 
  

  

  The 
  complete 
  catalogue 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  prey 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  Philanthus 
  gibbosus. 
  

  

  Type. 
  

  

  A 
  

   W 
  

   B 
  

   H 
  

   I 
  

   D 
  

   C 
  

   C 
  

   X 
  

   DD 
  

   E 
  

   N 
  

   CC 
  

  

  s 
  

  

  F 
  

   Q 
  

  

  BB 
  

   Y 
  

  

  J 
  

  

  AA 
  

  

  T 
  

  

  U 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Length. 
  

  

  Augochlora 
  viridissima 
  Vler 
  

  

  Augochlora 
  fervida 
  Sm 
  

  

  Oxystoglossa 
  pura 
  (Say) 
  

  

  Halictus 
  ligatus 
  Say 
  

  

  Halictus 
  lerouxi 
  Lep 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  sparsus 
  Robt 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  illinoensis 
  Robt 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  sp. 
  near 
  zephyrus 
  Sm 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  pilosu 
  s 
  (Sm 
  . 
  ) 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  cressoni 
  ? 
  (Robt.) 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  obscurus 
  (Robt.) 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  viridatus 
  Lov 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  versatus 
  Robt 
  

  

  Chloralictus 
  caeruleus 
  Robt 
  

  

  Seladonia 
  provancheri 
  (D. 
  T.) 
  

  

  Curtisapis 
  coriacea 
  (Robt.) 
  

  

  Curtisapis 
  fuscipennis 
  (Sm.) 
  

  

  Evylaeus 
  arcuatus 
  Robt 
  

  

  Evylaeus 
  pectoralis 
  (Sm. 
  ) 
  

  

  Evylaeus 
  sp. 
  ? 
  

  

  Dialonia 
  antennariae 
  (Robt.) 
  

  

  Calliopsis 
  andreniformis 
  Sm 
  

  

  Mm. 
  

   7-8 
  

  

  9 
  

   5-8 
  

   6-8 
  

   : 
  9 
  

   3-5 
  

   4-5 
  

   4-5 
  

   5-6 
  

   5-6 
  

   6-7 
  

  

  6 
  

   4-7 
  

  

  5 
  

   6-7 
  

  

  5-6 
  

   5 
  

   4 
  

  

  5-6 
  

  

  June. 
  

  

  July. 
  

  

  August. 
  

  

  Sep- 
  

   tember. 
  

  

  Total. 
  

  

  23 
  

   1 
  

  

  42 
  

  

  61 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  77 
  

  

  21 
  

  

  IS 
  

  

  6 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  4 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  BO 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  12 
  

   6 
  

   1 
  

   2 
  

   6 
  

  

  331 
  

  

  Specimens 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  collections 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum. 
  Each 
  one 
  is 
  designated 
  by 
  

   its 
  respective 
  type 
  letter 
  and 
  bears 
  the 
  label 
  " 
  Prey 
  of 
  Philanthus 
  

   gibbosus." 
  

  

  