30 W. Dzmght Pierce 



above the surrounding ground. On a sunny day in summer, 

 from late July to early September, the air is full of busy buzzing 

 bees and many other insects. The Epinomia holes are 7 mm. 

 in diameter at the entrance and are usually surrounded with a 

 little embankment of tiny particles of earth. The holes are usu- 

 ally not more than four or five inches apart, so that in general 

 appearance the community resembles a great expanse of ant-hills. 

 Between the Epinomia holes are numerous other holes varying 

 in sizes down to 1 mm. and even less. The appearance and dis- 

 appearance of certain large holes soon denotes the presence of 

 Cicindcla larvae, and generally little observation is required to 

 find one or more Epinomiae or other insects frantically struggling 

 on the ground in their attempts to free themselves from Cicin- 

 dcla. The beetles are represented mainly by Cicindcla fnlgida 

 Say, both the red and the undescribed melanistic forms, and C. 

 iogata Laf., although C. puncfulata Fab. is also found. Certain 

 larger holes are those of Ammopliila pictipennis Walsh. This 

 wasp has been observed dragging large caterpillars to its hole 

 with great industry. It is not very numerous, there being not 

 more than four or five located within the precincts of the bee 

 community, as a general rule. 



Although he has examined carefully the contents of a large 

 number of holes in his search for Myoditcs, the author has not 

 made any complete casts. In several cases he has had to do the 

 work alone and has been limited in time. The communities are 

 some distance from the city, and time has prevented leaving 

 the casts long enough to become well hardened. The holes re- 

 quire a large amount of plaster and considerable time is con- 

 sumed in pouring it. In the future a more careful study of 

 these holes will be made. For this it will be necessary to devise 

 some means for the escape of the air bubbles which have made 

 the work more difficult. Professor Smith in his Notes on Digger 

 Bees has very well outlined the details for careful work of this 

 kind, and his plans will probably be adopted. 



The holes generally enter the ground perpendicularly, although 

 sometimes at a slight incline. They take a very nearly perpen- 

 dicular course throughout, sometimes not varying more than an 



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