150 WASP STUDIES AFIELD 



cement she gave up the project and started anew. She 

 worked away here for over an hour, kicking the dirt behind 

 her and, as the hole deepened, occasionally coming to the 

 opening and kicking it further back out of the way. She 

 often emitted a sharp, squeaky buzz while she was intent 

 upon her work in the hole. Two trains passing near by, 

 though they made a great uproar as they entered a tunnel 

 under the hill, did not disturb her in the least. When we 

 returned in the afternoon we found that this hole, too, had 

 been given up, and despite the long time and arduous work 

 expended upon it, it was only three-quarters inch deep. We 

 saw her no more. 



A second wasp of this kind was discovered about noon 

 of the same day, just commencing her burrow. She chose 

 a strange spot, an ant-lion pit, at a point half-way down the 

 sloping side of the funnel, and dug in horizontally. After 

 having witnessed the astonishing persistence of the first wasp 

 in working in the plaster of the old wall we had supposed 

 that some similar site was absolutely necessary to their 

 happiness, so we were surprised to find another using so 

 different a kind of place. Evidently T. fuscus is a versatile 

 little creature. We longed to stay and watch her, but train- 

 time was approaching, and the completion of the story had 

 to be left for another time. 



Tacky tes obscurus Cress, and T. obductus Fox. [S. A. 

 Rohwer] . 



This small T. obscurus was found struggling with a short- 

 horned locust. She mounted it and dragged it a few inches, 

 grasping the hopper by its antennae. She tried to hold it 

 with its back against the earth, but had difficulties in keeping 



