VESPIDjE. I5S 



portion to the size of the insects, paler, less shining, the 

 sagittoe broad and parallel-sided, rounded at the apex. 



L. $ 17 mm., ? 18-20 mm., ^ 12-15 mm. 



Common, and generally distributed. 



V. austriaca, Panz. {arborea, Smith.) — This species 

 resembles rufa in the shining black-haired abdomen 

 and the short cheeks^ but the puncturation of the 

 thorax is rather finer, the abdominal black markings 

 are clearly defined, without brown edges, and the 

 basal segment is distinctly longer than in that species, 

 and narrower at the base, being as long or nearly as 

 long as in vulgaris &nA germanica ; the clypeus is shaped 

 as in vulgaris and germanica, being produced antei'iorly 

 into two almost dentate angles and is coloured like that of 

 the latter, having three black spots only in its centre, the 

 scape of the antennas is yellow in front, like those of the 

 species in the long-cheeked section, and like these latter the 

 tibife are clothed with long hairs. 



L. 18-20 mm. 



Apparently rare, but has been recorded from Wakefield, 

 Yorkshire; (Smith). Leeds; Gloucestershire; {Perkins). 

 Cheshire; [Newstcad). Dublin; (Carpenter). Smith says 

 he met with this species in 1836 near Wakefield, York- 

 shire, building nests in fir trees. Only females have 

 occurred in Britain. I think there is no doubt that this is 

 the species known on the Continent as V. austriaca, as 

 pointed out by Andre in his " Hymenopteres d'Europe," &c. 

 Our specimens are paler in colour than the Continental ones, 

 but most wasps are variable in this respect ; only the ^ 

 and ? are known, and it is suggested that it may be in- 

 quiline in its habits like Psitht/ rus. 



V. sylvestris, Scop. — Easily known from any of the 

 preceding by the long checks between the eyes and the 

 mandibles, which are almost as long as their apical width, 

 and by the scape of the antenna) being yellow in all the 

 sexes. 



S marked much as in vuhjuris, but without the meta- 



