82 COLORATION IN POLISTES. 



Var. G. — All the segments red, their base black, their borders more or less em- 

 broidered with whitish yellow. 



Var. H. — Mesothorax and abdomen red ; no yellow on the insect ; base of the 

 second segment black. 



Var. I. — Metathorax red, with two yellow lines ; scutellum marked with yellow. 

 Abdomen red. 



Var. J. — Abdomen chestnut, the first segment embroidered with yellow ; two 

 yellow points on the metathorax. 



Var. K. — Marks on the second segment of the abdomen white. 



Var. L. — Large ; abdomen ferruginous, with four quite large yellow borders ; 

 metathorax with two yellow bands ; antennae a little gray above. 



Hab. — United States, Canada. 



P. metrica Say. 



Ferruginous. Abdomen black. Wings dark violaceous ; body ferruginous ; 

 antennae fuscous, first and second joints ferruginous beneath, last five or six joints 

 fulvous beneath ; hypostoma with a few distant, short yellow hairs, not sericeous, 

 at the middle of the tip a little prominent. Thorax with a black dorsal line abbre- 

 viated behind, each side of which is an obsolete line confluent behind, exterior to 

 which at the base is a black line attenuated before and abbreviated. Wings dark 

 violaceous. Feet black,, tibiae within, except posterior pair, knees, and tarsi yel- 

 lowish. Abdomen black, first segment absolutely piceous each side and on the 

 posterior edge, second segment also with obscure ferruginous on each side, some- 

 times obsolete. Length over four-fifths of an inch. 



//«(&.— United States. 



P. minor Beauv. 



Worker. — Insect ferruginous ; clypeus yellow, with a ferruginous mark ; man- 

 dibles yellow ; orbits broadly bordered with yellow ; antennae black above at the 

 middle, nearly to the end ; the borders of the prothorax, tegulae, and a point under 

 the wings, the anterior border of the scutellum, the postscutellum and two large 

 marks, which cover the posterior plate of metathorax, yellow. Abdomen short, 

 oval, depressed, first segment broadly bordered with yellow, this border bearing a 

 large square or tricuspid indentation ; the three following segments ornamented 

 at borders with little festoons, rest of abdomen ferruginous. Legs ferruginous, 

 knees, tibiae, and tarsi yellow ; posterior tibiae ferruginous at the end. Wings 

 ferruginous, brown in the radial ; third cubital cell regularly lozenge-shaped. 



Male. — Antennae scarcely obscure above ; borders of the orbits and the yellow of 

 the clypeus forming a yellow V on the front of the face. 



Hab. — Georgia, Louisiana, California, Texas. 



P. rubiginosos Lepel. 



Insect entirely clear reddish yellow ; a little black around the ocelli ; antennae 

 blackish above from the fourth segment up. Thorax bearing a golden down. 

 Wings brown, with violet and golden reflections. 



Var. A.— Three black lines on the mesothorax, one on the metathorax. Length 

 i8 mm. 



//j3.— Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, Missouri (Murtfeldt), Texas. 



P. perplexus Cress. 



Male —Ferruginous, strongly golden sericeous ; face and clypeus flat, dull yel- 

 low-white, pale on orbits and above insertion of antennae ; mandibles and cheeks 

 beneath more or less dull yellowish white ; antennae ferruginous, paler at base be- 



