506 Saw-flies, Gall-flies, Ichneumons, 



hornets, are the ones which build the large subspherical nests familiar to 

 all outdoor observers and related to much boyish adventure. Inside the 

 great globe are several horizontal combs of brood-cells in tiers, all enclosed 

 by several layers of wasp-paper (Figs. 711 and 712). The large bald-faced 

 hornet, V. maculata, is the best-known builder of the globe nests. The smaller 



FIG. 712. Nest of yellow-jacket, Vespa sp., cut open to show combs within. 

 (About one-third natural size.) 



yellow-jackets, V. germanica (PI. XII, Fig. 9) and V. cuneata, build in 

 hollows in stumps or stone fences or underground. Such protected or under- 

 ground nests are not as thoroughly and thickly enveloped in paper as are 

 the exposed arboreal globe nests. The miniature queen-nests (Fig. 713) 

 of the Vespae, with the single little brood- comb inside, may often be found 

 by careful searching in spring. 



The long-bodied blackish social wasps of the genus Polistes (PI. XII, 

 Fig. 2; also Fig. 714) build single exposed horizontal combs out of wasp-paper 

 (chewed wood) which are attached to the under side of porch roofs, eaves, 

 ceilings of outbuildings, etc., by a short central stem. The little comb 

 made by the queen may contain but half a dozen cells, but after the workers 

 hatch many other cells are added around the margin. But the nest and 

 community never compare in size and numbers with the large commu- 

 nities of Vespa. The hibernating queens of Polistes often seek hiding- 



