168 WASP STUDIES AFIELD 



cinders thrown out on top of this smooth white surface. 

 It was clearly the work of a Priononyx, in all probability 

 P. atratum, since the only other member of that genus found 

 here is P. thonwe, and none of them had yet been seen in 

 this vicinity. The gallery of this burrow was about an inch 

 and a half long. It was tightly packed near the mouth with 

 the material which had been excavated. In form and slope 

 the burrow conformed in every way to the standard specifica- 

 tions of Priononyx ', hence we may conclude that she finds 

 the same scheme adequate, whether working in sand or firm 

 earth. The adult hopper in the cell, a Dissosteira Carolina, 

 was active in all its members, kicking vigorously with all of 

 its legs, moving its mouth, antennae and abdomen, and occa- 

 sionally fluttering its wings. During all of this activity the 

 egg, which was glued at the base of the right hind leg, was 

 not dislodged, although it was badly shaken and occasionally 

 received a full blow from the middle leg. Hence, it was 

 not in the least surprising that the egg never hatched and 

 that three days later it was shrivelled. The hopper was at 

 that time fairly active, moving the hind legs, mouth and 

 antennae; only the first and second pairs of legs seemed 

 helpless. 



The site of the nest was particularly conspicuous because 

 of the contrasting colors of the mound and the adjacent 

 soil, while the tiny black cinders laid on top of the gray 

 clay made the contrast only the more striking. In covering 

 and finishing off her burrow in this way, the Priononyx had 

 merely followed her usual custom for effecting its conceal- 

 ment, but she had failed ludicrously, by picking up material 

 of sharply contrasting colors. Surely, if this behavior 

 was not blind instinct, at least it was colorblind. 



In 1914, while walking along a country road in Kansas 

 one August morning, we noticed a hole in the side of a 

 wagon rut. In a moment the proprietor, a P. atratum, re- 



