THE SPHE GIDAl. 
223 
the victim have ceased, the clever little insect seizes its stupefied 
prey, and drags the heavy burden with great efforts to its nest. 
Usually the opening of the cavity is so narrow that the cockroach 
cannot be got in, for its legs and wings stick out and prevent its 
introduction. But the Chlorion sets to work and cuts off the legs 
and the wings, and having thus lessened the difficulty, it strives 
hard to push the body into the hole, but as this plan usually fails, 
the Hymenoptera enters first of all, seizes the cockroach with its 
mandibles, and drags it in with all its force. As the integuments 
of the Blatta are more or less soft and flexible, the great insect is 
at last forced into the gallery, where it never could have been 
expected to have entered. Such proceedings on the part of the 
Chlorion almost verge upon the domain of reason ; and it is 
difficult to explain them by the notion of that very indefinite 
quality called instinct, for the manoeuvres vary according to cir- 
cumstances, and there appears to be an intelligent method of 
overcoming every difficulty. 
The species of the genus Pompilus are fossorial Hymenoptera, 
which work with the same degree of perfection as the Sphegidce , 
and which hunt with the same bravery and with the same cunning. 
Those of this country are very small insects, and make their nests 
in sand or in old trees, for they seem to know that the rotten wood 
will relieve them from much trouble in the matter of hole-digging. 
They all provide spiders for the nourishment of their larvae. Most 
of them hunt those wandering spiders which scamper about and 
never make webs, but a few do not hesitate to attack and carry off 
the great garden spider, even when it is located in the middle of 
its beautiful web. Some Pompili, which have legs without spines, 
are incapable of digging, and therefore they act like some of the 
other insects already mentioned, and which have corresponding 
structural deficiencies, for they lay their eggs in the nests of other 
fossorial Hymenoptera , and their larvae act like parasites. 
The Crabronidce appear at first sight to resemble the Sphegidce, 
but on examining any of them, it will be observed that the body 
is only moderately long, their antennae are straight, the upper 
lip is hardly projecting, their hind legs are not much longer 
than the others, and the fore legs end in a broad point. They 
are common insects all over the world, and their shapes vary 
