Mason-Wasps. 31 



small and feeble Andrena. or the formidable hive-bee, taking 

 them as they came, and caring nothing for the sting. The 

 Philanthus that burrowed on the top of the cliff, seemed to 

 prefer the hive-bee, because the red clover attracted greater 

 numbers of that insect. Those that made their burrows at 

 the top of the cliff, took the Andrense. Of course, the Philan- 

 thus is obliged to catch more of the Andrenas than the hive 

 bees. Only one species of this genus is known in England ; 

 it is to be found in July and August. 



There is a very large genus of rather small humming-bees, 

 many of which are popularly mistaken for wasps, on account 

 of their sharply pointed and yellow banded abdomen ; they 

 belong to the genus Crabro, and are extremely variable in the 

 material into which they burrow, and the insects with which 

 they feed their young. Some species burrow into dry 

 bramble sticks. If the reader should wish to obtain speci- 

 mens of them, as well as other burro wers, he will find 

 bramble, rose, and jessamine sticks most prolific in them. 

 The best plan is to collect a quantity of these sticks and put 

 them into glass tubes, with the ends stopped with wire gauze ; 

 there is then an absolute certainty of identifying the insect 

 with its habitation. The spring is the best time for collect- 

 ing. Sometimes these creatures are afflicted with parasites, 

 which also are detained in the tube, so as to yield valuable 

 information to the captor. 



Some species burrow in sand-banks and feed their young 

 with gnats, others burrow into dead timber, and slock their 

 tunnels with flies of various kinds. One very useful species, 

 Crabro Icevis, burrows in sand-banks, and provisions its nest 

 with the noxious turnip-fleas (Halticce), great numbers of 

 which are needed to stock a single burrow. It is rather a 

 social insect, many burrows being often found near each other. 

 The turnip-flea has so hard a shell, that the young Crabro 

 seems hardly capable of eating it. Mr. Smith, however, has 

 remarked that another burrowing-bee stocks its nest with 

 certain weevils that are almost too hard to be pierced with a 

 pin, and that the shell is probably softened by the damp 

 ground. The greater number of this group, however, are 



