Q [January, 



Neither C. elegantula, Fallen, nor A. horeella, Zett., have ever previously been 

 recorded out of Scandinavia, and I believe no record of tlieir capture have been 

 given since 1865. Surely Dr. Wood will now catch C. Dahlbomi , Zett., which has 

 a fulvous scutellum, and let us clear up its generic position. I may mention that I 

 possess indications of two more British species of CalUmyia, but not with sufficient 

 certainty for their introduction at present. 



Dr. Wood iias omitted to mention that Homalomyia diffrdlLi, Stein, and 

 Palloptera Iwtahifis, Loew, are both additions to the British lists, and if Actia 

 frontalis is intended for Thri/piocera frontalis, Macquart — I believe that to bo also 

 an addition. 



A LARGE COMMUNITY OF VESPA l^ULQARIS, 

 BY THE REV. G. A. CRAWSEIAT, M.A. 



Mr. Saunders has invited me to write a note upon a community 

 of Vespa vnJg-aris, lately taken by myself, numbering 4957 — 5207 

 individuals. The former figure represents the number of v^'asps 

 already emerged from the cells, found in the nest when it was dug 

 out, and afterwards carefully counted. The latter takes into account 

 an additional 250, at which I estimate those which were not recovered 

 for counting. 



It will be observed that either figure is considerably in excess of 

 F. Smith's estimate of 2590 — 2690 for a large community, while it in 

 no way approaches to Eeaumur's 30,000 for the same. 



It seems difficult to account for the great difference in these 

 numbers. Would it not be interesting to know the experience of 

 others respecting the comparative numerical strength of communities 

 of the social wasps ? 



With the little experience that I have I hesitate to express an 

 opinion on the subject, but I am inclined to think that P. Smith's 

 estimate will hold good in any ordinary English summer of normal 

 conditions of weather, and that only unusually favourable conditions 

 of temperature, &c., would produce any appreciably larger number in 

 a community. 



The community in question I destroyed on the night of Septem- 

 ber 20th, in the faint hope of finding the beetle parasite, Mefoeciis 

 paradoxus, of which my brother, Mr. L. E. Crawshay, had beaten one 

 specimen from a birch bush in the neighbourhood in the autumn of 

 1902. It was the strongest of six communities which have come under 

 my observation this autumn. On digging out the nest on the follow- 

 ing morning, the walls, as they flaked away, disclosed such a mass of 

 wasps falling away with them, that I resolved to keep and count them. 



