74 
wasp climbed up the burrow and then descended again tailfirst, 
stung the larva deliberately, but made haste to retreat. 
Although I watched all these operations very closely, it was 
difficult to see clearly the final, very rapid stinging action of 
Methoca; her prey was presumably stung about the unprotected 
throat, as Adlerz (1905), Bouwman (1909) and the Champions 
(1915); have ees ed in another species. The tiger-beetle larva 
is severely stung so as to remain in a death-like torpor; indeed, 
it sometimes perishes prematurely and the wasp grub with it. 
After the larva has become quiet and the wasp has cleaned 
and rested herself, the latter descends into the burrow and devotes 
further attention to her prey, giving it an occasional pull as it 
to straighten it out, and crawling over the body and pinching it 
with her mandibles, particularly about the venter. The egg may 
not be deposited for some time, and I was never able to see the 
operation in this species. The egg (Fig. 33) is pearly whitish, 
slender and slightly curved, rather pointed at the posterior end and 
more rounded at the other. It is about one millimeter in length. 
In specimens under observation, eggs were deposited, one to each 
Cicindela larva, from between ventral abdominal segments one 
and two to as far back as segment six, where one was placed 
latero-dorsally. As a rule, however, it is to be found on the 
underside of segment three or four of the abdomen, in the 
middle or to one side thereof, its long axis more or less paralici 
with that of the larva, and the broader head end pointing ante- 
riorly. After egg-laying, the wasp fills up the burrow with soil. 
As will be seen later, a majority of the solitary wasps that nest 
in the ground drag their prey into some hole well removed from 
the scene of combat, but the nature of her victim makes this 
added labor unnecessary for our wasp. Here is a ready-made 
tunnel of considerable length, the like of which the slender 
Methoca could not begin to excavate—why not bury the tiger- 
beetle larva in its self-made burrow? The prey is here of ex- 
ceptional size and the wasp has work enough burying it. The 
Scoliidae, a family of thick-set powerful wasps, readi ly pene- 
trate, the soil or decayed tree trunk to reach and paraly ze the 
sluggish chafer beetle grubs, but as a rule they find no need for 
excavating a special grave. This habit, then, does not appear to 
be the result of inferior talent, but one governed by the nature 
of the prey. 
The egg hatches in from forty to fifty-six hours. Once or 
twice the larva was seen to have crawled out of the shell, but on 
other occasions no egg-shell could be seen. The larva in its 
earlier life is comparatively large-headed, well segmented and 
rather stout and fusiform. Both ends of the body are rather 
