THE EUMENIDAE 349 



her mud for ten days or more, she at once changed her 

 course of action and gathered this mud which we had just 

 placed near to her door. We have never seen another wasp 

 so quick to alter her activity in order to avail herself of a 

 new and strange convenience or economy. 



The several nests which have been examined internally 

 showed much variation in the nesting-habits and provision- 

 ing. While Comstock indicates that these wasps use vertical 

 holes in trees, we have found them to occur in various 

 other situations. 



The first one opened was in the under side of a porch 

 floor. With much effort, sufficient wood was cut away to 

 expose three cells of a large tunnel that went into the joist 

 horizontally. The sides of the tunnel bore marks of pre- 

 vious partitions, not alone of this wasp, but also of the 

 carpenter-bee; hence, it seemed evident that this hole had 

 been used several times by both the bee and the wasp. 

 There was no veneering of mud such as Ashmead describes. 

 In one cell was a fat, growing larva with sixteen large cater- 

 pillars, all identified by Dr. Fracker as Epipaschiinae, 

 probably Epipaschia sp. The other cell contained eighteen 

 caterpillars of the same species. This seems indeed an as- 

 tonishing number, considering their size, to be stored for 

 a single infant. 



Another mother which was utilizing an abandoned bur- 

 rowing-bee hole in the clay bank for its domicile, was 

 caught in her task of carrying in caterpillars and sealing 

 the cell. The first one she brought in fifteen minutes, the 

 second one in twenty-five minutes. These large caterpil- 

 lars were carried very deftly under the body; the long trunk 

 was not allowed to dangle awkwardly, but one end was 

 clutched in the mandibles while the other end was clasped 

 close to the abdomen with the legs. When next observed 

 at 1 1 o'clock she was carrying in either mud or water and 



