THE COMMON SAND-WASP. 361 



wings are equal, and the colours of the body black 

 and ferruginous alternately. 



It is very common about sandy banks exposed 

 to the sun, in Norfolk and Suffolk, but rare in the 

 neighbourhood of London. It is easily distinguished 

 from other insects by the elongated pedicle of its ab- 

 domen, and very short wings. When it flies it al- 

 ways carries its abdomen pointing upwards, so as to 

 be nearly at right angles with that part of the tho- 

 rax to which it is attached *. 



Its history is interesting, and, in its manners, it is 

 greatly allied to the species of the preceding genus. 

 The most pleasing fact is that related by Mr. Ray : 

 " I observed one of them (says he) dragging a green 

 caterpillar thrice its own size ; it laid this down near 

 the mouth of a burrow that it had made in the 

 ground ; then, removing a little ball of earth with 

 which it had covered the orifice, it first went down 

 itself, and, atter staying a short time, returned, and, 

 seizing the caterpillar again, drew it down with 

 him. Then leaving it there, it came up, and, taking 

 some little globules of earth, rolled them one by one 

 into the burrow, scraping the dust in by intervals 

 with its fore-feet, in the manner of a dog, thus alter- 

 nately rolling in pieces of earth, and scraping in 

 dust till the hole was full ; sometimes going down 

 (as it seemed to me) to press down the earth ; and 

 once or twice flying to a fir-tree which grew near, 

 perhaps to get turpentine to glue it down, and make 



Kiiby in Linn. Tran. iv. 1S5. 



