HUNTERS OF LARGE ORTHOPTERA 193 



the hopper as it lay and deposit her egg, and then and there 

 get it out of her system both physiologically and psycho- 

 logically? But no, the chance of injury to her egg in the 

 transportation of the hopper for burial, and the question 

 of the survival of her young one in a tussle with the infant 

 Priononyx proves her way safer after all, and she is right 

 in wanting to see the food safely in place, the atratum egg 

 destroyed and the host devoid of parasites before she will 

 take any chances with her own young. 



Chlorion (Proterosphex} ichneumoneum L. 



While walking over the sparse grass on a clayey plateau, 

 we scared up a large sand wasp, Chlorion ichneuinoneum. 

 It created a great commotion, buzzing about our heads in 

 threatening manner until we withdrew. It then returned 

 to its burrow, which was near by, and resumed its digging. 

 The hole was already nearing completion; it went straight 

 down into the ground from an opening one-fourth inch in 

 diameter. About four inches distant was a large pile of 

 pellets of earth (fig. 43), which had been taken from 

 the hole. 



Presently she stepped aside to get her prey, which she 

 was from time to time bringing nearer to the hole; it was 

 a long-horned green grasshopper. Then, after the usual 

 manner of certain wasps, she laid it down and went inside 

 once more for the final survey of the pocket, came out and 

 brought the hopper to within one-half inch of the open- 

 ing; she went in head first, turned around and poked her 

 head out just far enough to grasp the hopper's head and 

 then dragged it down out of sight. A minute later she 

 appeared at the surface for just a moment and at once went 

 down and remained inside the burrow for three minutes. 



