132 THK KNTOJIOLOGJST. 



tate. Wings hyaline witli red and green iridescence. — Black ; face 

 and lower half of frons white, the colour sharply separated, the lower 

 margin of the black forming an inverted W, apex of mandibles 

 broadly black, frontal tubercles rufescent ; 2 basal antennal joints 

 pale red, apex of pronotum, 2nd and 3rd abdominal segments, anterior 

 tibiae and tarsi rufescent. 



Length, 11 mm. ; abdomen, 8 mm. ; petiole, 4 mm. 



Hab. — West Sarawak ; G. E. Bryant, collector, iv, 1914. 

 Type in the British Museum. 



This species is clearly distinguished by the remarkable colour 

 of the head, the white colour being rendered especially con- 

 spicuous by the sharp demarcation above and the unusually 

 largely black mandibles below. The iridescent wings are not 

 noted in any other species of this subgenus, 



16, Belsize Grove, N.W., 3, 

 April 28th, 1917. 



DESTEUCTION OF WHEAT BY WASPS. 

 By F. W. Frohawk, M.B.O.U., F.E.S. 



Hitherto it apjienrs to have been unknown that wasps 

 attack and destroy corn in any way ; therefore the following 

 facts regarding this apparently newly acquired and very destructive 

 habit is worthy of record in this journal. 



On August 20th last year, while walking along the edge of 

 a wheat field at Mickleham, Surrey, I noticed that the heads 

 of corn were in a greatly damaged condition, and the cause of 

 the mischief was soon apparent, as numbers of wasps were busy 

 at work gnawing the corn. Along the entire length of the field, 

 which was about 300 yards long and for about 5 or 6 yards 

 wide from the edge inwards, all the ears of corn appeared more 

 or less damaged, as shown by the two examples represented in 

 the accompanying drawings. As will be seen one has the basal 

 half completely stripped, leaving the stem bare. I watched a 

 quantity of the wasps at work, which proved to be the common 

 wasp {Vespa vulgaris). Upon tracking them to the nest, I found 

 it about one-third of a mile distant from the field and situated 

 in the end of a building, which they entered under the eave. 

 The whole of the damage was caused by the individuals of the 

 one nest. The area of apparently total destruction amounted 

 to a belt of about 300 yards long by o or 6 yards wide, and 

 probably a considerably larger portion extending over the field. 



Probably this destructive habit has been acquired for the 

 purpose of collecting nesting material, and should it become 

 a generally adopted one among the different sj^ecies of social 

 wasps, it may tend to very serious consequences in future to the 

 wheat crops of this country. 



