The Great Cere er is 27 



hetuleti. The last, who rolls vine-leaves in the 

 shape of cigars, is sometimes a superb steel- 

 blue and more ordinarily shines with a splendid 

 golden copper. I have found as many as seven 

 of these brilliant insects victualling a single 

 cell ; and the gaudiness of the little subterranean 

 heap might almost stand comparison with the 

 jewels buried by the Buprestis-huntress. Other 

 species, notably the weaker, go in for lesser 

 game, whose small size is atoned for by larger 

 numbers. Thus Cerceris quadricincta stacks 

 quite thirty specimens of Apion gravidum in 

 each of her cells, without disdaining on occasion 

 such larger Weevils as Sitona lineata and Phyno- 

 tomus murinus. A similar provision of small 

 species falls to the share of Cerceris lahiata. 

 Lastly, the smallest Cerceris in my district, 

 Cerceris Julii} chases the tiniest Weevils, 

 Apion gravidum and Bruchus granarius, victims 

 proportioned to the diminutive huntress. To 

 finish with this list of game, let us add that a 

 few Cerceres observe other gastronomic laws 

 and raise their families on Hymenoptera. One 

 of these is Cerceris ornata. We will dismiss 

 these tastes as foreign to the subject in hand. 



Of the eight species then of Cerceres whose 

 provisions consist of Beetles, seven adopt a diet 



^ For a description of this species, which is new to entomology, 

 see the Appendix. — Author's Note. 



