254 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Nov. 1, 18G7. 



outer wall of the spore sac, and is a thin plicate, or 

 keeled membrane, divided into processes or cilia, 

 whichfusually stand opposite the interspaces of the 

 outer teeth, and occasionally 1 to 3 still finer ciliola, 

 occur between the cilia (fig - . 275). 



Fig-. 279. Bifid tooth from 

 peristome of Fissidens. 



Fig-. 280. Peristome and tympa- 

 num of Pog-onatum alo'ides. 



The spores are formed from the cells, filling the 

 spore sac, and are always free from the spiral threads 

 found in the Hepaticae. 



In the above account I have not included the 

 Sphagnina or Bog-mosses, as the views of recent 

 writers tend to separate them as a distinct class, 

 parallel with Mosses and Hepaticse. 



ANTHRENUS. 



Fig-. 281. a. Anthrenus museorum, L. ; I. Anthrenus 

 varius, F. ; both magnified. 



rpHE above figures, illustrative of the paper on 

 " Hairs of Dermestes," page 206, represent 

 the two species of Anthrenus therein alluded to. 

 They have been drawn from well-authenticated 

 specimens, by an excellent authority on these insects, 

 who remarks, " The antennae in the three common 

 species of Anthrenus have a different number of 

 joints (a curious circumstance in the same genus). 

 Thus in varius, the antenna; seem to be eleven- 

 jointed (the normal scheme in Coleoptera), and the 

 club consists of three joints. In museorum they arc 

 eight-jointed, with a two-jointed club ; and in the 

 very common little claviger (smaller than museonmi) 

 the club is only apparently one-jointed. Anthrenus 

 museorum is very indistinctly marked, and a much 

 duller insect than varius, of which some of the bands 

 of lighter colour are spotted with white. The 

 scheme of pattern seems alike in both. The edges 



of the pattern not clearly defined, as the insects are 

 covered with broad scales that form the bands, 

 giving an irregular outline." Woodcuts can scarcely 

 give satisfactory representations of the insects. 



WASPS. 

 rTUIE following communication on British Wasps 

 -*- appeared in the Gardeners' Chronicle for 

 October 19 th :— 



You published, some little time ago, a letter re- 

 questing some of your readers to assist me in pro- 

 curing a specimen of the nest of Vespa arborea 

 That letter has brought me some kind communica- 

 tions on the subject, but not the nest, which I am 

 still in search of. As the subject has attracted the 

 attention of some of your readers, perhaps you will 

 allow me a little space to explain more clearly what 

 I, with every other naturalist who studies wasps, 

 really do want. 



There are seven species of British social wasps, 

 including the hornet. Three of these are tree 

 wasps, distinguished by having the scape of the 

 antennse yellow in front in both the sexes. Three 

 are ground wasps, in which the scape of the an- 

 tennae is yellow in front in the male only. The 

 species are readily distinguished by the forms of the 

 markings on the face, and on the dorsal aspect of 

 the first two rings of the abdomen, as shown in the 

 following diagram :— 



As to their nests : — 



1. V. Germanica, the large common wasp, builds 

 in the ground ; the case of her nest is made in shelly 

 patches, and is of a grey and white colour. 



2. V. vulgaris, the small common wasp, also 

 builds in the ground ; her nest being formed like- 

 wise in shelly patches, but of a pretty fawn colour, 

 and of a very brittle nature. 



3. V. rufa is an earlier wasp than the others. Her 

 nest is of a dull grey, and is built in rings, not in 

 patches. The name of "anchor-faced wasp" has 

 been unfortunately applied to this as well as to the 

 preceding species.. 



Of the tree wasps :— 



1. V. sylvestris builds in the ground, or under 



