igjoi. 195 



THE MALE OF VESPA AUSTRIACA. 



BY DKNIS R. PACK-BERKSFORD, D.I<. 



In the Irish Naturalist, vol. vi , p. 285, an interesting article 

 appeared by Mr. H. K. G. Cnthbert on the rarest of Irish 

 wasps — Vespa austriaca. In that article, as also in Mr. 

 Edward Saunders' " British Hymenoptera Aculeata," it was 

 stated that females only of this wasp had been found in 

 Great Britain. Since then, however, the Rev. O. P. Cam- 

 bridge recorded in the Irish Naturalist, vol. vii., p. 18, the 

 capture of one male in Dorsetshire, and in vol. viii., p. 163, Mr. 

 C. W. Buckle records the capture of a single male in Co. Donegal 

 in August, 1898. Two or three specimens have also been 

 taken, Mr. Saunders tells me, in Scotland, but these, with the 

 exception of Mr. C. Robson's discovery of males and females 

 in the nest of V. rufa {Science Gosjsip, vol. v., 1899, p. 69), are 

 the only instances on record of its capture in these islands. 



It is, therefore, interesting to be able to record its occur- 

 rence in considerable numbers. On the morning of 

 August 7th this year I caught a wasp, which I identified as a 

 male V. austriaca, and knowing from experience that where 

 one male is caught there are often more, I began a diligent 

 hunt, and was rewarded by catching 17 more on the same 

 afternoon and 30 on the following day. After that I caught 



few nearly every day till August 25th — my total in all 

 amounting to 128 specimens. 



Both Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Edward Saunders, to whom I 

 sent specimens, have been so kind as to examine them and 

 confirm their identity. All were caught in one part of my 

 grounds — a piece of rough grass, some two acres or so in 

 extent, in which are planted specimen conifers of various 

 kinds, and which is nearly surrounded by fir plantations. I 

 caught them hawking round nearly all the young specimen 

 trees, but Abies Nordmaniana seemed to be specially favoured. 

 One young specimen in particular of this tree was, during 

 nearly the whole of August, covered with workers of 

 V. vulgaris and V. rufa. I caught a few males of V. rufa at 

 the same time, and succeeded in finding three nests of that 

 species in the immediate neighbourhood, but these contained 

 nothing but V. rufa, as I took all three nests, and examined 

 every wasp in them. 



