126 



THEJ5AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



little bag of poison attached to it, the female 

 Dig-ger AVasp, even since the creation of the 

 world, has been doing the very same thing in its 

 own department of life. Yet, because the ani- 

 mal is comparatively a small one, we overlook 

 and despise the beaut)^ and simplicity of the 

 process by wliich it works. In reality, however, 

 this process is just as wonderfully ingenious, as 

 if a ship-owner had the power of i^rovisioning 

 liis ship with living sheep and living oxen, man- 

 ipulated in such a manner that they could be 

 packed in the ship's hold like so many hogs- 

 heads ; that they should require no food or atten- 

 dance there, and neither kick nor struggle nor 

 bellow nor bloat, but lie perfectly still ; and yet 

 that, whenever wanted for food, they could be 

 hauled up out of the ship's hold and converted 

 at pleasure into good fresh juicy beef and 

 mutton. 



In some cases, a single caterpillar, or spider, 

 forms snffioient food for a single larva ; and then 

 the nest is provisioned with only a single indi- 

 vidual. Sometimes, when such an animalistoo 

 large and heavy to be transported through the 

 air, certaiii Digger Wasps (genera Ammophila, 

 iSphex, and Pompiliis) have been observed to 

 drag it along the surface of the earth, after the 

 manner in which the tumble-dungs work; but 

 this is the exception, and not the rule. In other 

 cases, as with several species of Wood Wasps 

 {Crabro familv), that bore nests for themselves 

 in timber, and provision them with plant-lice-; 

 nearly a hundred individuals are stored up for 

 a single larva. The more usual number is from 

 half a dozen to a dozen. In no known case 

 does any Digger Wasp attempt to rear more 

 than a single larva in a single nest. As already 

 hinted, each species of Digger Wasp usually 

 selects a particular species, or, at all events a 

 particular group, either of insects, or of spiders, 

 as food for its young; but there are several ex- 

 ceptions to this rule, owing, do doubt, in part, 

 to the occasional inability of the mother insects 

 to procure the appropriate kind of food in 

 sutiieient quantities. 



AVith the single exception of one small order 

 {Xeufoptera), no order of insects is exempt 

 from the attacks of these all-devouring wasps. 

 Some provision their nests with grasshoppers, 

 some Willi cockroaches, some with snout-beetles 

 of various kinds, some with ants, bees, and iu 

 Europe even with honey-bees; a few with 

 different kinds of bugs, frog-spittle insects, and 

 plaiit-lice; a great number of them with various 

 kinds of two-winged flies, and a still greater 

 number, perhaps, with the larvaa of various 

 moths; and, besides all these, many distinct 



species, belonging to widely distinct genera, 

 prey upon spiders. St. Fargeau, however, has 

 correctly remarked, that in no known case, 

 does any Digger Wasp provision its nest with 

 other Digger Wasps, cither belonging to its 

 own species, or to any other species.* The 

 habits of comparativelj' but few North Ameri- 

 can species have been hitherto observed ; but 

 it was long ago recorded by Catesby that a 

 common Blue Dig- 

 ger Wasp (Chlori- 

 on c(sruleuin,T)v\\- 

 ry. Fig. 97), makes 

 its nest iu the 

 earth, and provis- 

 ions it with a spi. 

 der greatly larger 

 than itself;t and 

 we have ourselves 

 observed a very 

 common Digger 

 coior-iiKUgo blue. -^^asp (Bembex 



fasciata, Fabr.), a iigure of which will be 

 found below, burrowing in a sandy spot of 

 ground, and provisioning the nests which it has 

 thus constructed, with the 

 common shining, green 

 blow-fly {Musca Ccesar, 

 Linn). We have observed, 

 too, on passing over sandy 

 plains frequented by these 

 last insects, that they will 

 pale grtenish-white. often fly rouud and round 

 one's person in rather an alarming manner, 

 though we have never known them to sting 

 under such circumstances. Their object, no 

 doubt, is to distract the attention of the 

 intruder, and prevent him from noticing or dis- 

 turbing their nests. St. Fargeau observed 

 similar facts with regard to a Eui-opeau species 

 (J3. rostrata) — which, like our common species, 

 provisions its nest with two-winged flies — and 

 states that, as soon as he set himself down a 

 little way off, and remained perfectly still, the 

 insects took no further notice of him. if It is a 

 good illustration of what has been called the 

 ?7?!/^yo/ 7/ff6(7s in insects, that all the species 

 of this genus, the habits of which are known, 

 whether in Europe, or in America, provision 

 their nests with two-winged flies {Diptern), 

 and exclusively with such as belong to the Sec- 

 ond Grand Division (Brachycera) of the order. 

 The rapidity with which the Digger Wasps 



•St. Farge.iu, Hijmenopt, U, p. 548. 



iHistory of Carolina, Vol. II., page lOS, iiuoteil by 

 Westwood, IntvoducUon , II, p. 'iU7. Kespccting the uo- 

 menclatiire of this insect, see the Appendix at the end of 

 this nvticlc. 



JSt. Fargeau, Hymenopleres, U, p jBO 



Colors— Bbick brown and 



