Hymenopterous Insects, 265 



habitants, when I found, to my surprise, that they had spon- 

 taneously deserted their nest, and left it me, an uncontested 

 prize. This was probably formed by the Fdspa holsatica, 

 as it agrees with a correspondent's description (VI. 539.) of 

 the nest which he had obtained of that species.-— i/. E. Strick- 

 land. Nov. 22, 1833. 



Wasps (Vespa vulgar is) their Relative Abundance or Rarity 

 in 1833. (VI. 490. note f.) — Wasps were unusually numerous 

 here last summer. Half a dozen or more might always be 

 seen buzzing about in every window in the house. The 

 garden was full of them, and they devoured nearly the whole 

 of the latest ripe red gooseberries. Eight or ten nests were 

 destroyed within 50 yards of the house. — A Subscriber. Vale 

 ofAlford, Aberdeenshire^ Nov. 20. 1 833. 



Wasps will partake of the extravasated sap which drains 

 down the exterior of trunks of diseased elm trees ; at least, I 

 witnessed two doing this, on July 27. 1833, in Kensington 

 Gardens : with them, and also partaking of the sap, were a 

 blow fly and blue flies. — J. D. 



[Nematus ribesii Stephens (III. 245., *with ajigure in 246.; 

 but under the erroneous name of Tenthredo cdprece L.]. — In 

 this neighbourhood we had, last summer, two, and, in some 

 gardens, three, visits of the gooseberry caterpillar. The first 

 was a very destructive one ; the second was about the end of 

 August, or beginning of September; and the third about a 

 month later. This is quite unusual here, though apparently 

 not so in some other places (see III. 245.) A colony of 

 wood ants (jPormica rufa?) in a garden is found here of great 

 effect in keeping it clear of this pest. — A Subscriber. Vale 

 ofAlford, Aberdeenshire, Nov. 20. 1833. 



[" The caterpillars of the Nematus capreae are never fourid 

 on the gooseberry bush, but feed on the leaves of the sallow 

 [c>alix caprea />.], and of several species of willow and osier, 

 to which they are said to be sometimes very destructive. The 

 Nematus of the gooseberry and currant bushes, though it 

 nearly resembles N. capreae, and has been confounded with it 

 by Fabricius and other naturalists, has been clearly shown to 

 be a distinct species ; it has been named Nem.atus ribesii by 

 Stephens." (Scotus, in the Horticultural Register, iii. 188.)] 



Trichiosbma lucbrum Leach (V. 85. 748.; VI. 1 57.)? the Larva*' 

 of, ejects from the Pores of its Body a *i<ohite Liquid, in thin 

 fountain-like Columns. — This interesting fact, and the de- 

 tails of it, mistakingly ascribed, in VI. 157.j to the larva of 

 Tenthredo amerinae Lin., belong to the larva of the Trichio- 

 soma lucorum Leach. Our correspondent was led into 

 the mistake by identifying the larva with that figured by 



