58 THE SOLITARY WASPS. 



; CHAPTER VI. 



AN ISLAND SETTLEMENT 1 . 



Bembex spinolae St. Fargeau. 



Plates H., fig. 6; VI.; XL, 4. 



When we found that our field of work was so rich in material 

 that we could not possibly do it justice we brought the children 

 of the family on to the ground as assistants, and it is to our boy 

 George that we owe the discovery of the Benibew colony. On 

 returning from an expedition to an island in the lake close by,. 

 ha reported that he had found a lot of bees or wasps, he did not 

 know which, and upon going to investigate the matter we found 

 a bare space of soft, rich earth, about eight feet wide by ten feet 

 long, fairly riddled with the holes of Bembe% spinolae. 



These wasps are about three-quarters of an inch long and are 

 broad, heavy and somewhat clumsy, being shaped much like 

 bees. In color they are black, banded with bluish white. (PL 

 II., fig. 6.) On this, our first visit, the weather was hot and 

 sunny and the ground as well as the air above it was alive with 

 the large, showy wasps. Our arrival on the scene was the sig- 

 nal for a general hubbub. Evidently we were not personae 

 gratae to their majesties, for with a most intolerable buzzing 

 they darted at us on all sides at once, chasing us for some dis- 

 tance as we retreated, and when they turned back and left us in 

 peace we were surprised to find that no wounds had been in- 

 flicted. The battle had been all sound and fury signifying 

 nothing. With renewed courage we again approached them, 

 more cautiously this time, and soon learned that if we preserved 

 an extremely composed and dignified demeanor our presence 

 on the field would be tolerated. 



Bembcx, like Philanthus and some species of Sphex, lives in 

 a sort of semi-social state, a number of individuals occupying 

 the same space of giound, although each one has its separate 



