Mr. A.White on a S. American Wasp which collects Honey, 269 



don_, who presented this nest to the national collection, has- written 

 to me that it was on the banks of the " Nancay, a tributary stream 

 of the Uruguay/^ that the nest was found. He has sent me the 

 accompanying note, which, as it contains some matter that may 

 prove interesting to the curious, I here insert, only premising 

 that I informed Mr. Hawkins that it was a wasp and not a bee 

 that constructed it, as he originally suspected. It was the opi- 

 nion of the late Professor Audouin, that the Myrapetra scutellaris 

 (Ann. and Mag. /. c.) was, like Nomaday Psithyrus, &c. among the 

 bees, a parasite, and that the wasp constructing it was as yet un- 

 known. As far as I can at present see, I know not the grounds 

 for this opinion of the learned and amiable French naturalist. 



" A wasp^s nest with a portion of wild honey in it was discovered 

 in June 1837 in the woods situated along the banks of the ' Nan- 

 cay,^ a tributary stream of the ^ Uruguay,^ which takes its rise in the 

 province of ' Entre-rios.' The 'Uruguay' joins the ' Parang' a few 

 miles above Buenos Ayres, and forms the ' Rio de la Plata.' This 

 nest was cut off from the living branch of a tree, wherefrom it 

 hung suspended at the height of about seven feet from the ground, 

 by John Whitaker, plumber and steam -apparatus-maker, and 

 Matthew Lawrance, his foreman. The apertures for ingress and 

 egress have been constructed with admirable ingenuity in order 

 to prevent the entrance of rain, which is carried off by a pent- 

 like projection near the avenues to the cellular cavities. 



" The principal materials whereof this nest is constructed, are 

 the excrement of the Carpincho and dried rushes and underwood. 

 The Carpincho is a species of Tapir or Water Hog, and is am- 

 phibious j they are very numerous on the banks of the Uruguay, 

 and are preyed on by the tigers'' [jaguars ? Felis onca.] 



" The tiger is the most powerful enemy the wasps have to deal 

 with, for he springs upon the well-stored nest, and notwith- 

 standing its height, very frequently succeeds in dashing it to the 

 ground ; he then shields himself in the thick foliage of the under- 

 wood from the stings of the enraged wasps, who usually migrate 

 elsewhere in quest of another home. The tiger then, unmolested, 

 returns to the fallen and deserted nest and devours the honey- 

 combs : the scattered fragments of wasps' nests, thus destroyed by 

 the feline and ferocious inhabitants of the forest, are frequently 

 met with. 



" Extreme length, including the twig on which the nest is sus- 

 pended, 31 inches. The length of the nest is 17 inches, and its 

 depth 11." 



