146 
BLUEFIELDS. 
dilapidated and partially unroofed, where twine-like 
roots depend from the rafters, and elegant ferns 
spring out of the crevices of the crumbling walls, a 
good many large wasp-like Flies may be observed in 
the hottest part of the day, briskly flying to and 
fro. It is a species of Sphex, closely allied to 
S. ichneumonea, hut with the abdomen wholly rufous. 
On closer examination we discover numerous holes 
entering diagonally into the dry and dusty ground, 
into which some of these bright-coloured flies are 
crawling, and from which others are emerging. From 
some of the holes proceeds a shrill, but intermitted, 
buzzing ; and if we watch one of these we perceive 
the Sphex at work therein. At first we cannot see 
what she is doing, for she crawls in head-foremost, 
and in a second or two comes out tail-foremost, re- 
cedes a few inches, and then advances again ; again 
emerges in the same manner, and again enters ; and 
continues thus to crawl backward and forward with 
bustling activity, and with much flirting of the purple 
wings. She is almost white wdth dust, and is 
evidently very busy, if we can but comprehend her 
motions. 
On stooping down and bringing our face very near 
the scene of labour, we discover by narrow watching, 
that she is digging the hole ; and hence the negro 
children have given her the appropriate title of grave- 
digger. Every time that she comes forth, she brings 
a load of the powdery earth, much larger than her 
head, tightly held between the shanks of her two 
fore feet, her breast, and her chin, and this she drops 
an inch or two from the cave’s mouth. Sometimes 
