Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . ; and the insectaffects the vicinity of water, and hence, probably, is seldomfound far from wells. It builds in September and October, and THE BEMBEX. 471 the perfect insect sometimes emerges early, though it oftendelays its appearance until the spring (viz. March or April) ofthe following year, when the heat sets in. A small Pemphredon, or another even smaller species, oftentakes possession of the cells of this insect, rendering the identi-fication of the pupa very difficult. The chrysa
Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . ; and the insectaffects the vicinity of water, and hence, probably, is seldomfound far from wells. It builds in September and October, and THE BEMBEX. 471 the perfect insect sometimes emerges early, though it oftendelays its appearance until the spring (viz. March or April) ofthe following year, when the heat sets in. A small Pemphredon, or another even smaller species, oftentakes possession of the cells of this insect, rendering the identi-fication of the pupa very difficult. The chrysalis is more ovatein form than that of Pemphredon. I have no drawing of thegrub. In another part of his paper Mr. Home mentions thata hymenopterous insect belonging to another family, namelyTrypoxylon intrudens, was hatched from cells made by theParapison, the former insect having taken possession of thecells made by the latter. The next family is that of the Bembecidae, in which thetongue is often so long that it resembles the same organ in thehive bee. The name is Greek, signifying a humming-top, and. Fig. 250.—Bembex rostrata.(Black, with greenish yellow bars.) is given to the insects on account of their quick, fussy move-ments, and the buzzing sound which they produce when onthe wing. As far as is yet known, no species of the genus Bembex is aninhabitant of England, though this species extends throughoutthe greater part of Europe, and is even found in Northern is nearly, though not quite, the largest species belonging tothe genus, and is rather prettily coloured, the greenish yellowbands contrasting well with the black which forms the groundhue. The habits of this insect are much like those which havealready been mentioned. The female digs deep burrows in thesand, using her fore-feet just as a terrier scratches at a rat-hole, 472 INSECTS ABROAD. and working with wonderful speed and activity. She thencatches flies of various kinds, and places them in the burrow fo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1883
