Transactions Texas Academy of Science. 
33 
phila procera in a similar manner is not so decisive since she presses 
a number of articles into the nearly closed entrance before she uses 
the last piece in any way approaching its use as a tool. Perhaps the 
use of the pebble by A. Yarrowi > the prairie species, is an extension 
of the more generalized habit of procera which lives in the woods 
where rubbish of all kinds is easily accessible and the whole tunnel 
is filled with it as shown in Pig. 18, 
After the nest has been closed and the tunnel filled flush with 
the surface, sticks, whole leaves or blades of grass, etc. (things 
are not too large now), are carried over the nest to obliterate all 
traces of the wasp’s work. In fact this is sometimes so skillfully^ 
done that unless one makes a mark he fails to find the nest again 
except by cutting vertical sections in the direction of the nest until 
this is opened. 
The process of thus concealing the nest is, or course, highly pro- 
tective to the human eye, though it can hardly be its real purpose 
to delude man or to entertain an admiring observer. The habit 
is probably a mere extension of the one which impels the wasp to 
carry debris into the tunnel to hold the sand which helps close the 
entrance. 
The finishing touches having been applied, Ammophila is usually 
off and away immediately, though, sometimes the fond mother seems 
unable to sever her connection with the nest so recently made and 
remains in the neighborhood visiting the nest occasionally to make 
a few changes. Once I caught a wasp in a neighboring tree after 
she had apparently finished her work; but she escaped through a 
hole in the net. For the next hour she continued to come near 
the nest again and again though she assiduously avoided me and 
my net. Gradually, however, she seemed to forget her experience 
and became so bold that I could approach close to her and easily 
captured this artist of her race. 
Fig. 17 represents a section of the nests of wasps Nos. 72 and 
73. It is a rare thing to observe two Ammophilae digging their 
nests so close together at the same time. Their behavior under 
these conditions seems to me to justify a special description of them 
here. 
When on September 18th an Ammophila flew up in front of me, 
I knew from her actions that she had business interests in the 
neighborhood and so repaired to the inviting shade of a hickory 
tree to observe her. She settled and began to dig near an open 
Ammophila nest and I supposed that it belonged to her and that 
she was just closing it up. But she continued to dig another nest 
