1922 ] Taylor — Biology of Wasps of Genus Ancistrocerus 
51 
The two nests built by wasps of this species did not differ 
greatly from each other or from those constructed by the other 
wasps noted in this paper. Wasp No. 2 built her nest (Fig. 1) 
in a tube which had an inside diameter of 7.5 millimeters. It 
contained four cells whose respective lengths were as follows: 
cell No. 1>, 14mm.; No. 2, 8 mm.; No. 3, 6 mm.; and No. 4, 
5 mm. In each cell at about two millimeters from the inner wall 
was suspended from above by means of a fine thread about a 
millimeter in length a white, glistening egg. The egg, which 
resembled almost exactly eggs of other members of this genus 
which I have observed, was about 2.5 mm. long, subcylindricab 
concave dorsally (?) and convex ventrally (?) (Fig. 3). In some 
cells it hung freely; in others, where the provisions were more 
tightly packed, it was pushed firmly against the upper wall of 
the cell. Cell No. 1 was provided with ten caterpillars, No. 2 
with six, No. 3 with three and No. 4 also with three. The cater- 
pillars were of uniform size, about 12 mm. long and all appeared 
to be of the same species, probably of the family Tortricidse- 
They were imperfectly paralyzed and responded to mechanical 
stimulus by quick, jerky movements of the abdomen. The head 
and thorax, however, seemed little capable of movement, the 
mouth parts and legs scarcely responding to the touch. It 
would seem then that the sting of the wasp must be introduced 
in the region of the thorax, thus bringing about partial paralysis 
of the parts which might tend to injure the egg or young wasp. 
The cells of the nest were separated by partitions one milli- 
meter in thickness, constructed of earth of a fine clayey consis- 
tency and moistened with water (and perhaps secretions) to 
form a cement which at first had a brownish color but became 
gray after drying. The partitions were not laid with precision 
transversely in the tube, but were often irregular with a slight 
oblique tilt. The inner surfaces of the partitions appeared more 
rough than the outer surfaces, due to their having been smoothed 
out by the wasp’s mandibles. In constructing these partitions 
the wasp first lays down the rim, flattening out her first lump of 
4 in designating the cells of a particular nest the numbers i, 2, 3 etc. refer to the order in 
which the cells were constructed by the wasp. Thus the innermost cell is no. 1, the next, no. 2 
and so on. 
