92 [September, 



which the Chlorion boldly attacked, and seemed greatly disappointed on finding it 

 could not be jerked aside like the ants ; another time, I filled up the tunnel with 

 mud, but Chlorion was never at a loss, and after a careful examination of the spot, 

 soon cleared out the mud, working witli the greatest vigour, and dragging out large 

 pieces of rubbish at a time. At last I threw the cricket several yards from the nest, 

 and the poor thing, which had, since its first severe mauling, shown no sign of life, 

 began to recover, got on its legs, and made off slowly through some long grass and 

 tangled weeds. I am unable to say whether the Chlorion was ultimately successful 

 in securing its prize, for, having watched these manoeuvres for over an hour, I had 

 to leave ; the last I saw of her she was hard at it, and the circles of search 

 rapidly increasing in size. From the clear, business-like, and rapid movements of 

 this Sphex, I should certainly place Chlorion high up in the scale of intellectual 

 insects. 



Polistex hebraus. — I have also been interested in observing the wonderful 

 tenacity with which this wasp sticks to its nest, under the most adver.^e circumstances. 

 A nest was in process of building in the verandah of my bungalow, and increased in 

 size till the native servants objected, making it the excuse for not pulling the 

 punkahs properly, as they were afraid of being stung; I accordingly endeavoured to 

 drive the wasps from the nest by dashing cans of water over it, but without the 

 slightest success, the wasps clinging to the paper walls, and seeming all the fresher 

 for the bath, so I had to take the nest with my hands, driving ofP the most daring 

 wasps with a stick ; I then fixed in the place of the nest a few cells of Vespa cincta, 

 but Polistes would not notice them, and on the second day I replaced the nest in 

 nearly the same position (having fed the larvae in the meantime on sugar, which they 

 devoured greedily), and Polistes immediately returned and took charge of their 

 young, some few days afterwards the nest was knocked down by some native, but 

 the wasps still stood to their home, and defended it successfully too, against the 

 attacks of the large workers of Formica compressa, and the still more dangerous 

 little workers of the red ants, Solenopsis geyninalus ; the nest was ultimately 

 destroyed by natives, who appear to have a particular dislike to this wasp, although 

 its sting is not very severe. 



Vespa cincta. — I have carefully watched the building of an extremely small 

 nest of this species in a rose bush in my compound : the nest consisted of a single 

 layer of cells, and with its paper covering, was not larger than an ordinary lemon ; 

 the hornets working at the nest were only seven in number at any one time ; they 

 obtained the material for their paper-making from some old teak beam in my 

 verandah, at which they were continually rasping; I distinctly watched them 

 " build " up their cells from a ground plan, watching the walls increasing through a 

 strong glass, generally two hornets worked at the cells and two at the outside 

 covering, the rest flying about or looking on. — Or. A. James Kothney, Barrackpore, 

 Bengal : JuJi/ 2nd, 1877. 



OccurrenoB in Britain of Pavhyta sexmaculata, Linn. — Two examples of this 

 most interesting addition to our list of British Longicoms have been captured on 

 fir palings, immediately adjoining the Eothiemurchus Forest, Aviemore, Inverness- 

 shire, by Mrs. King ; one specimen was taken on June 30th, and another on 

 July 2nd, 1877. • 



