146 BLUEFIELDS. 



dilapidated and partially unroofed, where twine-like 

 roots depend from the rafters, and elegant ferns 

 spring out of the crevices of the crumbling walls, a 

 good many large wasp-like Flies may be observed in 

 the hottest part of the day, briskly flying to and 

 fro. It is a species of Sphex, closely allied to 

 S. ichneumonea, but with the abdomen wholly rufous. 

 On closer examination we discover numerous holes 

 entering diagonally into the dry and dusty ground, 

 into which some of these bright-coloured files are 

 crawling, and from which others are emerging. From 

 some of the holes proceeds a shrill, but intermitted, 

 buzzing ; and if we watch one of these we perceive 

 the Sphex at work therein. At first we cannot see 

 what she is doing, for she crawls in head-foremost, 

 and in a second or two comes out tail-foremost, re- 

 cedes a few inches, and then advances again ; again 

 emerges in the same manner, and again enters ; and 

 continues thus to crawl backward and forward with 

 bustling activity, and with much flirting of the purple 

 wings. She is almost white with dust, and is 

 evidently very busy, if we can but comprehend her 

 motions. 



On stooping down and bringing our face very near 

 the scene of labour, we discover by narrow watching, 

 that she is digging the hole ; and hence the negro 

 children have given her the appropriate title of grave- 

 digger. Every time that she comes forth, she brings 

 a load of the powdery earth, much larger than her 

 head, tightly held between the shanks of her two 

 fore feet, her breast, and her chin, and this she drops 

 an inch or two from the cave's mouth. Sometimes 



