1908] 
Barth, Nesting of Anucrahro Ocellatus. 
153 
tiired insects responded to stimulation so presumably they were 
stung to death. The bugs seemed to be arranged more or less 
accurately with the head toward the end of the cell, from four 
to seven being found in the fully stored chamber. The egg is 
laid on the thorax of the Lygus beginning at the neck and ex- 
tending somewhat obliquely to the long diameter of the prey. 
The entrance of the nest was not closed when she absented 
herself either during the digging or on hunting expeditions or 
at night. 
None of the wasps were seen to make a locality study beyond 
a circle or two (and this in only two cases) either during excava- 
tion or before beginning to bring in prey, probably the wasps hav- 
ing so thoroughly familiarized themselves with the locality before 
nidification that no special study was required. 
As is usual with digger wasps numbers of parasitic tiies hovered 
about the nests and entered whether the wasp was present or not. 
Ln one instance the returning wasp fiercely attacked a tachina 
fly which was within the entrance of its nest and both rolled over 
and over down the bank the wasp tightly clasping the fly but 
whether she tried to use her sting on her opponent could not be 
seen in the flurry . Both kept up a furious buzzing in their prog- 
ress to the foot of the bank. The wasp then released the fly and 
entered the nest while the tachina immediately took its station 
directly beside the entrance evidently none the worse for nor dis- 
couraged by the assault upon her. The wasp had not started to 
store the nest and was not carrying prey at the time so it may be 
that her failure to disable the fly by stinging was owing to the 
fact that her hunting instinct v.^as still in abeyance. 
