More Hunting Wasps 



tion of the Buprestes. The inventory of 

 the Hornet's larder will include Diptera clad 

 in grey or russet frieze; others are girdled 

 with yellow, flecked with white, adorned with 

 crimson lines; others are steel-blue, ebony 

 black, or coppery green ; and underneath this 

 variety of dissimilar costumes we find the in- 

 variable Fly. 



Let us take a concrete example. Ferre- 

 ro's Cerceris (C. Ferreri,, VAN DER 

 LIND) consumes Weevils. Her burrows 

 are usually lined with Phynotomi and Sitones 

 both an indeterminate grey, and Otiorhynchi, 

 black or tan-coloured. Now I have some- 

 times happened to unearth from her cells a 

 collection of veritable jewels which, thanks to 

 their bright metallic lustre, made a most strik- 

 ing contrast with the sombre Otiorhynchus. 

 These were the Rhynchites (R. betuleti)^ 

 who roll the vine-leaves into cigars. Equally 

 magnificent, some of them were azure blue, 

 others copper gilt, for the cigar-roller has a 

 twofold colouring. How did the Cerceris 

 manage to recognize in these jewels the Wee- 

 vil, the near relative of the vulgar Phyno- 

 tomus? Any such encounters probably 

 found her lacking in expert knowledge; her 

 race cannot have handed down to her other 

 than very indeterminate propensities, for she 

 i8o 



