SAND-WASP. 
390 
Amongst the many little creatures which we 
have lately described, there is not, perhaps, one 
whose manners are better deserving of our notice 
than the sand-wasp. This insect was particularly 
observed by Mr. Ray, who tells us that he saw one 
of them dragging a green caterpillar thrice her own 
size, which she laid down near the mouth of a hole 
that she had made in the earth: having thus 
far executed her purpose, she proceeded to remove 
a little ball of earth with which she had covered 
the mouth of the vault, and immediately descended 
under ground ; here she staid a short time, and 
then ascending to the surface, seized the caterpillar 
and drew it down with her into the grave. After 
this was accomplished she returned, and pioceedecl 
to fill up the hole by taking some little globules of 
earth and rolling them one by one into the vault, 
occasionally scraping the dust in with her fore-feet 
in the manner of a dog. Thus she continued al- 
ternately rolling in pieces of earth, and scraping in 
the dust, till the hole was full. She was observed 
sometimes, during this operation, to go down into 
the grave, and once or twice flew to a fir-tiee in the 
neighbourhood for some purpose or other, returning 
again each time to her work. At length the hole 
being filled and made level with the surface of the 
earth, that its entrance might not be discovered, 
this ingenious insect took two fir-leaves that were 
near, and laid them close to the spot to mark the 
place. 
It should be noticed that the caterpillar is buried 
