'Frans actions Texas Academy of Science. 
49 
Once I took her up in a bottle, and as soon as released she went on 
the even tenor of her ways. Other specimens I observed, while not 
annoyed at my presence, resented any movement on my part. They 
differed rather markedly also in the manner of their approach to 
the nest and of carrying their prey. 
My second example of B. belfragei having dng the nest completely 
in the forenoon, carried into it four bugs from 1 :42 to 4 :10, Hold- 
ing the bng venter uppermost with her middle paiy of legs, the wasp 
would settle upon the sand that closed the entrance and stop there 
for nearly a minute in a listening attitude. Perhaps she was get- 
ting her breath after the long flight with her burden, for her abdo- 
men would heave up and down after the manner insects have of 
breathing. At any rate, the delay in getting the bug under cover 
must be disadvantageous to the species for the reason that it gives 
parasitic or commensalistic flies more time to smell the bugs and find 
the nest. The habit is widespread within the species, for nearly all 
the individuals I saw act in this way. This hesitation at the en- 
trance forms a striking contrast to the habit of Rhopalum which 
dives into her open doorway. 
Assured that all is well, belfragei opens up the nest with her front 
legs, still holding the bug with her middle pair, and walks in. 
When just inside, she passes the bug back to the third pair of legs, 
or, dropping it, she advances until she can conveniently grasp it 
with the third pair. Then she picks it up again and passes on, 
the bug now projecting beyond the tip of the wasp’s abdomen. 
At 4 :10 p. m. the last bug was brought in and the wasp began to 
permanently close the nest. After remaining inside for seven min- 
utes, she came forth scratching the sand back to fill up the tunnel, 
biting it loose from the sides, pulling it from the surface and press- 
ing it down with her abdomen. I caught her when she had nearly 
finished, and opened the nest. The tunnel, three-eighths of an inch 
in diameter and ten inches long, was entirely filled with sand and 
could be traced only by virtue of the dryness and the light color of 
the sand stuffed in. The pocket was one inch long and five-eighths 
inch in diameter and was five inches below the surface of the ground. 
It contained seven bugs. The egg was attached to the mesosternum 
of the bug and was directed forward so that it extended for a dis- 
tance along the proboscis (Fig. 14.) 
The bugs taken from the nest were all of the family of Lygaeidae. 
Of the seven, three kicked violently when touched and the remain- 
der showed some signs of life. After a day and a half three bugs 
were still alive, while the other four had just died. The former 
