HYMENOPTERA. 345 



great interest the efforts of one of these Burrowers 

 (Pompilus* Viatica) to immure a heavy Spider. A 

 hole, about as large as a quill, was made in a dusty 

 path through a field, around which was the earth 

 that had been dug out ; within a few inches lay a 

 large, round-bellied, dusky Spider, (Lycosa,) motion- 

 less, which the Pompilus was trying to drag to the 

 hole : it was up hill, however, and was no easy 

 matter. She caught hold of one of the thighs of 

 the Spider with her jaws, and with her tail towards 

 the hole began to tug; but the dust continually 

 gave way under her feet, and she could not make 

 much progress. She would tug for a few seconds, 

 then let go, and run to the hole, descending head 

 foremost, but immediately coming out as she went 

 in, head downward ; once, however, she turned in 

 the hole. Sometimes, by sudden exertions, she suc- 

 ceeded in dragging the Spider a little way, and once, 

 as she was getting along finely, and had him nearly 

 half up the hill, the round Spider suddenly rolled 

 down, dragging the Sphex completely over in a 

 somerset. At length we took pity on her, and 

 while she was in the hole, moved the Spider to a 

 more favourable position. On coming out, she went 

 to the old spot, but, finding no Spider, seemed quite 

 bewildered, wandering to and fro, and now and then 

 tracing the way to and from the hole; soon, how- 

 ever, she found the Spider again, and at length 

 succeeded in dragging him to the mouth of the hole. 

 Previously to this, we had observed her dig with 



* TIofA-TriXo;, ],ompilos^ the Greek name of a fish. 



