I 



North American Hymenopiera, 411 



a glabrous, subcarinate, triangular^ oblong space above : 

 wings byaline ; nervures fuscous ; stigma not suddenly 

 dilated; terminal third of the radial cellule slightly sepa- 

 rated from the edge of the wing ; terminal nervure of the 

 third cubital cellule inserted at the middle of the nervure 



of the radial cellule. 



h ^ about two fifths ; 9 half of an inch. 



^ 



The thoracic spot will readily distinguish this species. 

 The manners and habits of the species may be likened to 

 those of the A. parietina^ Latr. It digs a cylindrical hole 



J. 



in compact clay or adhesive earth on the side of a bank, 

 or in earth retained amongst the roots of an overturned 

 tree. The hole is two or three inches in depth. The 

 sides and bottom are of a dark brown color, quite smooth 

 and somew^iat pohshed, containing a quantity of \vhite 

 pollen, considerably larger than the artificer itself-. The 

 entrance consists of a cylinder extending downwards from 



the mouth of the hole, more than an inch in length, and 

 consisting of small pellets of earth compacted together, 

 very rough on the exterior and smooth w^ithin, A species 

 of Obyxerus was numerous in the same locality in which 

 I observed the above, and sometimes entered the holes; 

 but the exterior cylinder does not agree with that w hich 

 is attributed to O. murdria^ Latr. which Kirby and Spence, 

 inform us is composed of "little masses so attached to each 

 other, as to leave numerous vacuities between them, which 

 give it the appearance of filagree-w^ork.'' Many of the 

 tubes of the taurea, have a fissure above, throughout the 

 whole length ; resembling in this respect the shell Sili- 

 QUAKiA. It does not agree with Fabricius' description of 

 Melecta remigrdta. 



\ 



# 



