170 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



in a single living organism being once demonstrated, scientists will 

 perceive how far-reaching may be the effects of such experiments." 



The above paragraph, from the ' Christian Herald,' is reprinted in 

 the June issue of ' Entomological Newa,' the organ of the Entomolo- 

 gical Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and 

 the American Entomological Society. 



Vespa orientalis. — Some account of this insect, as a species widely 

 distributed in Bible lands, may possibly prove interesting. In the first 

 place, though almost identical with its British congener, Vespa crabro, 

 in point of colour, it may readily be distinguished from the latter insect 

 in having a larger proportion of chestnut-brown covering the whole of 

 the upper portion of the abdomen, and only the two lower segments 

 consisting of yellow spotted with brown, instead of three or four as is 

 the case with V. crabro. Also, if there is any difference in shape, 

 V. orientalis is rather the more slender of the two. Never having 

 myself come across a nest of this species, I of course cannot judge as 

 to its composition, but infer that it may be of clay instead of wood 

 from paling or hollow tree, after the manner of V. crabro, V. vulgaris, 

 V. germanica, &c, when engaged in sawing with their mandibles the 

 requisite materials for the preparation of their cells ; and indeed on 

 the confines of the Egyptian desert there are no timber trees, as a rule, 

 with the sole exception of the date palm, for any such purpose; but 

 these Hymenoptera flit about the walls of sun-dried clay in the 

 outskirts of Cairo, Heliopolis, &c, and also numerously frequent the 

 bakers' shops in the bazaars. After my ascent by the southern stair- 

 case to the roof of the time-honoured Temple of Isis at Denderah 

 (anciently Tentyra), on Dec. 24th, 1883, 1 found myself in a somewhat 

 uncomfortable position, as the summit of the wall was fenced by no 

 parapet and there was a drop of probably thirty feet on the outer, and 

 possibly twenty feet on the inner, side of the wall, and the hornets that 

 were clustered on the patches of clay on the outer wall of the little 

 chapel of Isis on the roof, being disturbed in their depredations by our 

 advance, began to fly wildly about our heads. The said clay cells were 

 tlie work of the little tawny- coloured bee scientifically known as Calico- 

 doma sicula, and they have plastered not only the hieroglyphics, but 

 one whole side of the exterior of the temple. I have three specimens 

 of V. orientalis from the cliffs of Lycopolis that I visited on Dec. 22nd, 

 and doubtless the presence of C. sicula accounted for their being here 

 also, as on p. 130 of my ' Nine Hundred Miles up the Nile ' the 

 following passage occurs: — "Nor must the wonderful labours of 

 hymenopterous insects be left unnoticed that have selected the western 

 side of the cliff as doubtless the most sheltered for their abode, and 

 completely covered it, in one particular spot, with masses of clay 

 cells." Great interest attaches to the fact of the modern traveller 

 finding V. orientalis and G. sicula side by side, as there can be little 

 doubt but what these are the identical hornet and bee mentioned in 

 Holy Writ. V. orientalis was also noticed at Minieh, Upper Egypt, in 

 the outskirts of the town, and around its sugar factory, on Dec. 20th, 

 cf. ' Nine Hundred Miles up the Nile,' pp. 120 and 122 :— " Hornets 

 were very abundant. Five days only from Christmas and the thermo- 

 meter is 79° in the sun, and several hornets are settled on the ground 



