POMPILIDJE. 



171 



that whilst burrowing it makes a loud whirring buzz ; and, in 

 tin- Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, he 

 states that he has detected both A. sabulosa and A. hirsuta 

 dragging along large spiders. Mr. Curtis observed it bury 

 the caterpillars of a Noctua and Geometra. St. Fargeau, how- 

 ever, states that. ^1. Milmli)na collects caterpillars of large size, 

 especially those of Noctuae, with a surprising perseverance, 

 whereas A. arenaria, forming a distinct section in the genus, 

 collects spiders." (Westwood.) 



AiHiiioitliila ccritt'ntaria Smith, and A. urnaria Klug, are the 

 more common species in this country ; they are red and white, 

 while A. luctuosa Smith is a black, shorter, stouter, more hirsute 

 species. They may all be seen flying about hot sandy places, 

 and alighting near wells and standing water to drink. 



POMPILID^E Leach. In this family the body is oblong, the 

 sides often compressed, and the head shorter, when seen from 

 above, being more trans- 

 versely ovate than in 

 the preceding family. 

 The antennae are long, 

 not geniculate, and in 

 the males are stouter 

 and with shorter joints 

 than in the females. 

 The eyes are narrow 

 oval, and the maxillary 

 palpi are six, and the 

 labial palpi four-jointed. 

 The prothorax is ex- 

 tended on the sides back 

 to the base of the wings, Fi s- 91 - 



which latter are large and broad, the fore pair having three 

 subcostal cells. The legs are very long and slender, with thick 

 slender spines. The Pompilidce, of which about seven hun- 

 dred species are known, have a wide geographical range, from 

 the temperate zone to the tropics. Like the Sphegidce, they 

 oviposit in the body of other insects, storing their nests, usually 

 built in the sand, with spiders and caterpillars. 



The head of Pompilus (Fig. 91) is a little longer, seen from 



