FAMILY SCOLIIDiE. 197 



Opiiion purgatus? (Plate xxvii, fig. 6.) 



Antennae nearly as long as the body. Color honey-yellow, somewhat brownish : orbits 

 yellow ; wings hyaline, with two opake dots in the first cubital cellule. 

 This insect, though not longer than the foregoing, is rather thicker and stouter. Length 

 about four-fifths of an inch. 



Xylocarpa virginica. (Plate xxvii, fig. 1.) 



Body thick, pubescent and hirsute ; thorax globular ; abdomen ovate ; eyes brown ; an- 

 tennae short, slightly thickened at the extremities. Thorax and adjacent part of the 

 abdomen clothed with yellow hair : two-thirds of the posterior part of the abdomen 

 black. Wings hyaline, yellowish, tipped with a dull ochre-yellow. Eeneath the body 

 and legs hairy, black inclining to brown. 

 This insect attacks the dry woodwork of porticos, ceilings, etc. and completely burrows 

 the inside, leaving a mere shell to support the framework. It always makes its entrance on 

 the lower side of the railing, whence its operations are not readily detected. 



Ccelioxis annularis. ( Plate xxvii, fig. 2.) 



Color black : face yellow : antennae black : thorax black ; margins lighter, and the disc 

 black : abdomen black ; rings annulated with yellowish white, pointed. Beneath the 

 body and legs, black. 



Scoliidae. 



Scolia fossilana. (Plate xxvi, fig. 10.) 



ScOLIA FOSSILANA ( Fabricius). Sphex PLUMIPES (Drury). 

 Head pale yellow in front, black on the top and hairy : antennae black, shorter than the 

 thorax : neck hairy, lemon-colored : thorax black, and covered with yellow hairs : 

 wings dark brown, translucent : abdomen lemon-colored above, crossed by three 

 black bines, dark beneath : breast and arms black : legs hairy and black ; hinder 

 ones furnished with two remarkable long spines at the tips of the tibiae : tarsi fur- 

 nished with strong pale yellow hairs. 



Scolia octomaculata. 

 Thorax black : scutel marked with a yellow line. Back of the abdomen dusky rufous, and 

 marked with eight yellow spots, four on each side of the median line : the middle 

 . spots are oval, the first and last linear. The head is black ; the anterior margin of 



the clypeus and base of the antennae, dull rufous : thorax black, and feet rufous. 

 The scolia are fond of dry sandy places, and feed on the honey of flowers. 



