44 
Psyche 
[April 
charids in two instances, as shown by the list, but I never had 
the good fortune of seeing any in the act of capturing the wasps. 
Females of P. rufus were watched for oviposition habits. 
No attempts were seen to be made, but empty pupa cases were 
seen protruding from the sand. These, because of their size, 
were evidently of this species, indicating the underground life 
of the immature stages. 
Recently, through the kindness of Mr. Nathan Banks, I 
was allowed to examine the collection at the M. C. Z. where 
two records of this species with prey were obtained. 
9P. rufus: prey, PoUstes sp? Woods Hole, Mass., VII, 19, 
1893. A. P. Morse, Coll. 
9 P. rufus: prey, Bremus sp?cf West Springfield, Mass., 
VII, 26, 1915. H. E. Smith, Coll. 
Proctacaiithus rufus seems to be restricted to sandy areas 
such as those above mentioned and I have never taken it in the 
fields and pastures frequented by P. philadelphicus except those 
in the immediate vicinity of the sand areas. That the insect is 
not more widely spread is a fortunate thing for bee-keepers. 
Another Asilid found in the same sandy areas as the above 
but less conspicuous and active is Proctacanthus hrevipennis 
Wied. This belongs to the same genus but is smaller and more 
of the color of the sand on which it alights. I found it to be 
far less abundant than its larger relative in the area studied. 
It will be seen from the list of prey that the type of insects 
captured by this species is quite different from that taken by 
by the last. Flere half the species recorded were specimens 
of the beetle Anomalalucicola Fob. which is common on the sand 
fields and captured during flight, as is the case of all prey taken. 
The list of insects taken from P. hrevipennis is as follows: 
Sex of 
Fly 
Date 
Locality 
Prey 
1. 
9 
July 8, ’22 
Hampden, Conn. 
Anomala lucicola Fab. 
2. 
9 
a 
U 
3. 
9 
luly 16, ’22 
Wallingford, Conn. 
Formica fusca varPcf 
4. 
9 
U 
Anomala lucicola Fab. 
5. 
9 
u 
u 
Zelus exsanguis Stab 9 
6. 
cf 
Tilly 23. ’22 
Sarcophaga sp? 
