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Show INSECTA. 146 . enes properly so sembles that of Eum Sometimes the abdomen re . . Such is . lied in the form of its two first annuh. B Uet. de 1a Soc. Plulom., ca , P. morio, Fab.; G. Tatua, Cuv., ~ xiv, s. Entirely black N VIII. Lat. Gen. Crust. et Insect., ~ cone like that of the .1. od. 1 ' It's nest forms a truncat~ fl t and perforated at an g ossy. b tt tn ts a • . nidulans, but it is 1argeJ·, the .o 1 ~s coarser. It inbabtts Cay· one of its sides, and the matena enne. . lliptical or bor d ers on an oval. Such Sometimes the abdomen lS e 1. s the ll' L • Panz., Faun. Insect. Germ., P gal/ica· Vespa ga tea, ., h Vesna vulgaris; black; the . ' Uer than t e r 11 XLIX 22• Rather sma . l'nes on the scute urn, two 1 ' two dots on t h e thorax., s1x 1f the abdomen, an d th e1· r c ypeus, nd rmgs Q bd spo t s on the first and seco f 11 the others, yellow; a O· 11 as that o a I uperior margin as we d 'th a short pedicle. ts nest s . n oval an Wl • f men bordering on a ' . bouquet, and contams rom h the form of a little tapermgh . des being the smallest. It as . lls those on t e st twenty to thtrty ce ' b ch of a shrub. is usually attac h e d to the ra.n oid or com. ca1 ' as .m Sometimes agam· t h e a bdomen 1s Fo v b • Guepe cartonm.e,r e, R eau m. , P n•dulans; Vespa nidulans, a.:' xx't'' Small; of a silken · • · 1· xxn- · Insect., VI, xx, l, 3, 4; xxt, ' . r margin of the abdominal black with yeUow spots; positerw t which is suspended to lour ts nes ' d annuli of the samt! co · . osed of a fine material, an branches of trees b Y a ring' lS comp The combs, of wh1. c h th e r truncated cone. has the form o a . to the population, and some-number augments in proport~on the nest are circular, but . derable stze to ' d times gives a consl d . th or infundibuliform an d convex un ernea ' . 1 concave above an 'fhey are fixed to the mterna perforated with a circular hole. bout the whole of their circum· Parietes of the envelope ~hroug h b neath or destitute of cells; , 1 one 1s smoot e 1 . ference. fhe ower As fast as the popu ation · · h d or of the nest. . r . its opemng lS t e o floor and furnish the lnieriOr increases, these Wasps form a new surface of the old one with cells. . ortion of the internal . . W sps the super1or p . In the remammg a ' h' h comes after the angle, ts as f h · dibles that w 1C . · margin o t elr man , The middle of the anterior margi 0 long as the other part or longer. - - ~ . . h larger than . hich its second rmg IS muc t ed.,cle are trtte Polistes. Tho§e, m w d' nrro "requently forms n clavae p t d h e the pl'eCe I 0 I ll the the others, and campanulate, an ~ :~a belongs to this division, as we . a~ pedicle, are- Epiponu: The ~· z~ previously mentioned, and the V. nid honey•ga.thering spectes from ra. HYMENOPTERA. 147 of their clypeus is widely truncated, and has a tooth on each side. The abdomen is always ovoidal or conical. They comprise the genus Vespa proper of Latreille. VESPA, Lat.(l) V. crabo, L.; Guepefrelon, Reaum., Insect., VI, xviii. Length one inch; head fulvous, with a yellow front; thorax black, spot• ted with fulvous; rings of the abdomen blackish brown, marked with a yellow band dotted with two or three black points on its posterior margin. It builds its nest in sheltered localities, such as garrets, barns, holes in walls and hollow trees. The nest is rounded, formed of a coarse material, and of the colour of a dead leaf. The combs, of which there are usually but few, are connected with each other by pillars or columns, the middle one much the thickest. The envelope is usually thick and friable. This species devours other Insects, particularly Bees, and robs the latter of their honey. V. vulgaris; G. commune, Reaum., Ibid., XIV, 1, 7. About eight lines in length;' black; front of the head yellow, with a black point in the middle; several yellow spots on the thorax, and four on the scutellum; a yellow band with three black spots on the posterior margin of the rings of the abdomen. It constructs in the earth a nest analogous to that of the crabo, but composed of a finer substance, and with more numerous combs. The columns which support them are equal. Its envelope consists of several laminre, arranged in bands, which overlap each other's edges. V. media, Lat., intermediate as to size between the two preceding ones, constructs a similar nest, but attaches it to the branches of trees. V. holsatica, Fab. This species constructs a very singularly formed nest. It is almost globular, open at top, and inclosed inferiorly in a kind of saucer. It is sometimes observed in barns or attached to the timbers in garrets, &c., and even in hives(2).' (1) Lat., Gen. Crust. et Insect., IV, p. 142. {2) Lat., Ann. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat. - , |
