126 IIYMENOPTERA CHAl 



It has long been known that some species of Cerceris prey o: 

 bees of the genus HaUctus, and. Marchal has recently describe 

 in detail the proceedings of 0. ornata. This Insect catches 

 HaUctus on the wing, and, holding its neck with the mandible! 

 bends her body beneath it, and paralyses it by a sting admin 

 istered at the front articulation of the neck. The HaUctus i 

 subsequently more completely stunned or bruised by a process c 

 kneading by means of the mandibles of the Cerceris. Marcha 

 attaches great importance to this " malaxation " ; indeed, he is o 

 opinion that it takes as great a part in producing or prolongiuj 

 the paralysis as the stinging does. Whether the malaxatioi 

 would be sufficient of itself to produce the paralysis he could no 

 decide, for it appears to be impossible to induce the Cerceris ti 

 undertake the kneading until after it has reduced the Hcdictu 

 to quietude by stinging. 



Tabre made some very interesting observations on Cerceri 

 tuherculcdct, their object being to obtain some definite facts as t( 

 the power of these Insects to find their way home when removet 

 to a distance. He captured twelve examples of the female 

 marked each individual on the thorax with a spot of whiti 

 paint, placed it in a paper roll, and then put all the rolls, witl 

 their prisoners, in a box ; in this they were removed to a distauci 

 of two kilometres from the home and then released. He visitec 

 the home five hovirs afterwards, and was speedily able to assuri 

 himself that at any rate four out of the twelve had returned t( 

 the spot from whence they had been transported, and he enter 

 tained no doubt that others he did not wait to capture had beei 

 equally successful in home-finding. He then commenced a seconi 

 experiment by capturing nine examples, marking each with tw( 

 spots on the thorax, and confining them in a dark box. Thei 

 were then transported to the town of Carpentras, a distance o 

 three kilometres, and released in the public street, " in the centr( 

 of a populous quarter," from their dark prison. Each Cerceri 

 on being released rose vertically between the houses to a sufficien 

 height, and then at once passed over the roofs in a southerly 

 direction — the direction of home. After some hours he wen- 

 back to the homes of the little wasps, but could not find tha 

 any of them had then returned; the next day he went again 

 and found that at any rate five of the Cerceris liberated th( 

 previous day were then at home. This record is of considerabli 



