42 BEES AND WASPS [OH. 



situations. On the other hand, V. norwegica invari- 

 ably and V. sylvestris nearly always hang their nests 

 from the branches of shrubs or trees. The remaining 

 species, V. austriaca, is by some regarded as a distinct 

 species, by some as the ancestral form of V. rufa, and 

 by others as a "cuckoo-wasp" that patronises the 

 nests of V. ru/a. This is not the occasion for a de- 

 scription of the features by which these species may 

 severally be distinguished; we may state, however, 

 that workers of the two arboreal species have a yellow 

 stripe on the front of the first joint ("scape" or stalk) 

 of the antenna, whereas the workers of all the ter- 

 restrial species have the "scape" entirely black. This 

 diagnostic character is not applicable to the "queens" 

 or to the drones. "Queens" of all species are recog- 

 nisable by their greater size ; they are only to be found 

 on the wing in spring and early summer, and again, 

 though much less in evidence, in early autumn. Any 

 Vespa found flying about before the end of May is 

 certain to be a "queen." The drones do not appear 

 till August and September ; they have longer bodies, 

 longer antennae (13-jointed, instead of 12-jointed as 

 in females), and they are not armed with a sting. 

 They frequent the flowers of wild parsnip and other 

 umbelliferous plants, and also of the ivy, provided that 

 bad weather has not cut short their career before 

 this plant is in bloom, and probably of many others ; 

 and may be picked off the blossoms with the fingers 



