THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 203 



CLASSIFICATION OF THE FOSSORIAL, PREDACEOUS AND 



PARASITIC WASPS, OR THE SUPERFAMILY 



VESPOIDEA. 



BY WILLIAM H. ASHMEAD, A. M , ASSISTANT CURATOR. DIVISION OF INSECTS, 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



(Paper No. 7. — Continued from p. 166.) 

 Family XXIX. — Eumenidae. 



To this family belong the potter wasps. They differ from the paper- 

 making wasps in being solitary and in constructing their nests of mud or 

 clay, instead of macerated woody fibre or pulp. It is perhaps one of the 

 largest, if not the largest, families in the Vespoidea, and is well repre- 

 sented in all parts of the world by many genera and species. 



The species superficially resemble the Vespidae, but are quite distinct 

 and are easily distinguished by the cleft or toothed claws, the claws never 

 being simple or edentate as in the social wasps. 



The family, like the Vespidae, has reached its greatest development in 

 warm or tropical countries. 



Our knowledge of this family, as well as of the Vespidce and 

 M~asarida, is due mainly to the labors of the distinguished Swiss 

 entomologist, Henry de Saussure, who has for more than half a 

 century devoted most of his time to elucidating the groups, genera and 

 species. He has done more work on these families than any other man, 

 living or dead, and all of his papers should be in the hands of those who 

 contemplate studying these wasps. 



His greatest work, " Etudes sur les Vespides," in 3 Vols., 8 vo., with 

 plates, was published during the years 1852 to 1856, and treats of the 

 Eumenidcz, Vespidce and Masaridce. 



These " Etudes " are typical of the best kind of systematic work, 

 and should afford a model for us all to strive to imitate. 



All wasps belonging to the family Eumenidce are predaceous princi- 

 pally upon Lepidopterous larvae, but a few attack also the larvae of saw- 

 flies belonging to the superfamily Tenthredinoidea. Although most of 

 these wasps prey upon Lepidopterous larvae as do the social wasps, yet in 

 their habits they are quite different. The social wasps chew up or 

 macerate their food before feeding to their young, which they carefully 



