HABITS OF THE ASTATA. 343 



All the Pompili are pretty insects. The general colour of 

 this species is slightly shining black. The first three segments 

 of the abdomen are rust-red, each having a narrow black band. 

 The wings are dusky, with a livid blackish band on the tips 

 and lower edges. About twenty British species of Pompilus 

 are now known. 



In the family LarHdce, which comes next in order, the outer 

 edges of the mandibles are curved towards their bases. The 

 tibiae of the two first pair of legs have one spine at their tips, 

 whereas those of the hind pair of legs have two spines. These 

 may seem to be but trifling characteristics, and yet we shall 

 see their value when we come to define the next family. 



On Woodcut XXXIV. Fig. 2, is dra\vn an example of this 

 family. Its name is Astata boops, and both names are pecu- 

 liarly appi'opriate, as we shall presently see. The head is very 

 large, and wider than the thorax, and the eyes are very large, 

 even in the female, while in the male they are so enormous 

 that they meet on the top of the head, of which they occupy 

 the greater part. The specific name of boops, or ox-eyed, is 

 given to it in consequence of its very large eyes. The figure 

 is that of a male, while the head of the female is shown at 

 Fig. g. The antennae are much more curved in the female 

 than in the male. The first pair of wings have one marginal and 

 three submarginal cells, shaped as may be seen at Fig. 2. The 

 abdomen has a very short footstalk, and in the male the upper 

 surface is flattened. The colour of the insect is black ; there is 

 a little grey down in front of the face. The abdomen is black, 

 with the first and second segments rusty-red, as also the base of 

 the third segment. Its edges are somewhat flattened. The wings 

 are nearly transparent, and have a broad blackish band at the 

 tip of the submarginal cell. This is the colouring of the 

 female. The male is usually, though not always, smaller than 

 the female, and the whole face and cheeks — i.e., the part be- 

 hind the eyes — are covered with shining silvery white down. 

 His eyes are red and the sides of the thorax, the tip and base 

 of the abdomen are covered with long, greyish down. 



This is one of the burrowing insects, and is a very active 

 creature, from whence is derived its name of Astata, signifying 



