280 [May, 



The lower comb of the nest is entirely occupied by cells of male 

 wasps ; from these a number of the insects were extracted. Our 

 description will therefore probably be in some degree inaccurate, wben 

 perfect disclosed specimens are obtained ; the colouring of the head and 

 thorax would very probably be considerably brighter. 



Another wasp from Hakodadi, received through another source, 

 may prove to be the worker of this species : a description of it is 

 therefore added. 



Vespa simillima. Length 1 inch. Head reddish-yellow, the man- 

 dibles and clypeus bright yellow ; the face black from the insertion of 

 the antennae up to the summit of the eyes, the emargination of the eyes 

 being yellow; a triangular yellow shape between the antennae, which 

 are bright fulvous beneath, and fuscous above ; the anterior margin of 

 the clypeus slightly emarginate ; the teeth and inner margin of the 

 mandibles black. The thorax black, covered with a short golden down, 

 and, as well as the head, thinly sprinkled with erect fulvous hairs ; a 

 ferruginous spot on each side of the prothorax, and a triangular one 

 beneath the wings ; a minute spot of the same colour on each side of 

 the metathorax, near the scutellum ; the tibiae and tarsi reddish-yellow, 

 with the claws black ; the wings sub-hyaline, the margins of the anterior 

 pair ferruginous. Abdomen yellow ; the basal segment black, with a 

 narrow yellow margin ; the second and following segments black at 

 their basal margins, each one more narrowly so than the preceding ; 

 the base of the two apical segments scarcely, if at all, visible ; the 

 abdomen covered with a fine golden down, and sprinkled with erect 

 fulvous hairs. 



British Museum, April, 1868. 



A few more words on had spelling. — By way of further illustrating the subject 

 glanced at in my note at p. 259 of vol. iv. of this Magaziue, I have applied some 

 simple corrections to the nomenclature of British Heteroptera, as giveii in the latest 

 Catalogue. If these were adopted, the whole system of names would be reduced, as 

 far perhaps as is practicable, to the ordinary classical standard. In the other Orders 

 it would be easy to effect a similar reformation. The barbarisms may be collected 

 under the following general heads : — 



(1) Words without meaning, as Jalla, Miris, Beostts, etc., — Veelttsia, Akvelixts 

 (anagrams of Valeeius),— and all those formed by Amyot and Scrville from 

 Chinese, Sanskrit, Hebrew, and Arabic roots, diversified by fancy spelling, are 

 incurable, and are here omitted. 



