THE INSECTS OF NEW JERSEY. 671 



O. vagus Sauss. Gloucester Co. VII, VIII (Fox); Westville VI, 16 (Vk). 

 O. collega Sauss. Lucaston IX (Dke); Lakehurst VIII, Barnegat Bay 

 Dist. VI (Coll). 



LEPTOCHILUS Sauss. 



O. republicanus D. T. (ornatus Sauss.) Dunnfield VII, 12, stores larvae 

 of "Odontota dorsalis" in pith cells (Sm); Camden VIII, 3 (Fox). 



Family VESPID^E. 



These are the true social wasps yellow jackets and hornets, which 

 live in colonies containing males, females and workers, the latter, as 

 with the bees, undevelopd females. All of them build paper cells or nests, 

 some of them in the open like the large gray globular "hornets nest," 

 some of them in trunks of trees, beneath overhanging eaves and others 

 in holes in the ground. The insects are pugnacious and resent interfer- 

 ence, as any one who has ever disturbed a yellow jacket nest has dis- 

 covered to his cost. The food consists of honey, pollen and other in- 

 sects, the larvae being fed with masticated fragments of insects by the 

 mother or workers. There is no storing of food, and the young are abso- 

 lutely dependent upon the periodical feeding by the adults. Only the 

 impregnated females hibernate, and each of these starts a colony of its 

 own in spring. The fore wings are folded longitudinally when at rest. 



POLISTES Latr. 



Species of this genus make paper combs that are not covered, in 

 sheltered places. 

 P. annularis Linn. Staten Island X (Ds) ; Jamesburg VII, 21 (Sm); 



Blackwood IX, 19 (Vk). 



P. fuscatus Fab. Seems to be rare in New Jersey, the variety "instabilis" 

 Sauss. being the only form recorded (Bt). 



P. pallipes Lep. (metricus Say.) Throughout the State; is the com- 

 monest of our species and varies greatly. 



P. perplexus Cress. With the preceding and locally as abundant. 



P. rubiginosus Lep. New Jersey, rare (Bt). 



P. variatus Cress. Newark, Camden Co., Lakehurst VIII, Lahaway IX, 

 Anglesea IX, Cape May IX, not so common (Coll). 



P. canadensis Linn. Staten Island III, 15 (Ds). 



VESPA Linn. 



V. borealis Kirby. Caldwell (Cr) ; this record is open to doubt. 



V. crabro Linn. A European species introduced into and now spread 

 throughout the State. It is the largest form that occurs with us. 



V. Carolina Dru. (cuneata Fab.) Staten Island VI (Ds) ; New Bruns- 

 wick VIII, Merchantville V, Ocean Co. VI (Coll) ; Riverton VI, X (Jn) ; 

 Clementon IV (GG) ; Woodbury VI, National Park VI, VII, Lucaston 

 IV, lona VI, Manumuskin V, VI, X (Dke) ; Mr. Daecke says that the 

 underground nest of this species always has a papered entrance. 



