ORDER VI. VEIN-WINGED INSECTS. 241 



insect is more than one inch long, and of a dark-blue pur 

 ple color. It makes Figure 68 

 its abode in the 

 loose,sandy ground, 

 and when digging 

 its hole resembles 

 a dog digging after 

 mice, throwing the 

 earth under it to 

 ward its hind body 

 with the fore feet. 

 If the pile of sand 

 becomes too high 



The Mud-wasp. 



or troublesome, it 



places itself upon it, and throws the earth behind it with 

 great force until it is leveled. As soon as its subter 

 ranean abode is prepared, it seizes a large spider, or a 

 caterpillar, or some other insect, stings it in the neck, and 

 then carries it into its hole. It is curious to see one of 

 these wasps take hold of a cockroach, seizing it by one of 

 its long antenna?, and continually walking backward, com 

 pelling the cockroach to follow, notwithstanding its great 

 reluctance and constant opposition, until both have arrived 

 at the hole, when the wasp kills it by a sting in the neck, 

 then tears it into pieces, and carries it into her subterranean 

 dwelling as food for her offspring. 



There are several other species of this wasp which man 

 age in a similar manner with their prey, but which make 

 their dwellings in rotten wood, as the Philanthus; or build 

 dwellings of clay upon the walls of houses, as the Pelopccus. 

 There are others which build cells resembling honey 

 combs, which they manufacture out of decayed fibres of 

 wood, after converting them into a paper-like material. 

 One species of these wasps fasten their abode, which con 

 sists only of a few dozen combs, upon the twig of a bush or 



L 



