V. THE BUG-HUNTERS. 
(a) Bembex Belfragei, Cr., the Big Bug-Hunter. 
Four times during the season I had the pleasure of observing in- 
dividuals of this interesting species at work. The species is rather 
a common one, and I should have observed more individuals had I 
had time. She is enjoyable company, for she does not object to one 
being near her. Her prey, however, I should think, might consist 
of a more inviting kind than the bug she captures, being stink- 
bugs at tl at. 
B. b elf rag ei is one of the first solitary wasps I saw in the field 
and is chiefly responsible for inducing me to spend several weeks 
among them. I came upon the first specimen on July 16th at 9 :12 
o’clock a. m. digging her nest in a wagon track. She had already 
made considerable progress in her work, for she seemed to bring the 
sand from some depth. She would remain out of sight for thirty to 
fifty seconds, then push up a load of sand and kick it out of the 
entrance. Fifteen to twenty seconds she would spend on the surface 
scattering the sand away from the entrance, as is more extensively 
the habit of Bembex tex. and Monedula Carolina. When at work 
digging B. belfragei cuts about the same figure as B. texanus de- 
scribed above. The tibiae and tarsi of the front legs with their long 
spines are used to scratch the sand and throw it back under the 
wasp’s body. Each time the head goes down, a single stroke of the 
leg is given and not several, as is the case with Bembex texanus. 
Ohce a Mutilled, five or six species of which are common in the 
woods, came running along the wagon-track, looked into the nest 
and greatly excited the owner, for the latter flew up with an angry 
buzz, darted at the intruder and put her to flight. 
At 11 :40 the wasp began to interrupt her work by rising into 
the air, circling several times, settling some distance from the nest 
and then returning to work. She repeated this three or four times ; 
finally at 11 :47 she came up from her nest, headforemost, instead of 
backwards, with sand, as she had been doing. She then closed up the 
entrance by scratching in sand until the entrance was covered flush 
with the surface and then flew away. After an absence of twenty- 
eight minutes, she returned and entered the nest without my seeing 
it, remained inside one minute and came out, closing the nest as 
before. This time she flew off without first circling about the nest. 
