Transactions Texas Academy of Science. 
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on the margin of its own web and the egg laid upon it. At 3 :07 
the wasp was out and flew airily about and in a minute was off 
and away. At 3 :20 she returned to the first spider on which, after 
removing it, I found an egg. I can not say whether she laid the 
egg at the first or at the second visit. In either case it is certain 
that two eggs were laid in less than fifteen minutes. 
The first spider never showed any signs of life but soon withered. 
The egg died from an injury received in the handling. The sec- 
ond spider lived till half consumed by the larva. This spun its 
light cream-colored cocoon (which turned yellow in a few weeks) 
ten days after the egg was laid. Late in August the adult emerged 
by cutting and lifting a circular cap from one end of the cocoon 
after the manner of Ichneumon flies. This specimen was a male 
and it was therefore impossible to identify the species. 
(d) Miscophus Sp? 
Nearly all kinds and sizes of spiders have their wasp enemies, 
from the giant tarantula, which is hunted by the powerful Pepsis , 
down to the young spiderlings captured by Miscophus. This spe- 
cies is a tiny black wasp hardly four mm. in length but very active 
for her size and just as “bright” as any of her big sisters. 
She digs her nest with mandibles and forefeet like most digger- 
wasps. She is not particular about cleaning away the sand from 
in front of her nest for any great distance while she is busy dig- 
ging it, with the result that the sand kicked out collects in a semi- 
circle in front of the nest. When the nest is completed and ready 
for occupancy and, indeed, when it is left temporarily, it is usu- 
ally carefully closed with sand and the surface in a radius of sev- 
eral inches is often smoothed over in a neat and tidy manner. She 
is extremely sensitive to one’s presence. When she is carrying a 
spider, a slight motion on my part will make her drop her burden 
and fly away for a minute or two. 
Miscophus catches for her prey young Epeirids of convenient size. 
These are carried home on the wing if very minute; medium-sized 
ones are carried in small jumps like the crickets of Larra, the length 
of the jump depending on the weight of the burden; larger spiders 
are carried on foot. I have seen no Pompilid carry her spider 
quite like Miscophus. This wasp grasps the paralyzed spider with 
her mandibles by two or more of its legs, “slings it on her back” 
and marches ofi with it, walking forward, the spider hanging rather 
to one side in an uncomfortable and awkward looking manner. 
