﻿new 
  Species 
  of 
  Diploptera. 
  105 
  

  

  with 
  yellow 
  on 
  apical 
  margin 
  of 
  both 
  tergite 
  and 
  sternite. 
  

   Legs 
  entirely 
  dark 
  orange-yellow. 
  Wings 
  golden 
  hyaline, 
  

   darkest 
  along 
  the 
  costa. 
  

  

  Head 
  as 
  broad 
  as 
  thorax, 
  moderately 
  dilated 
  behind 
  the 
  

   eyes, 
  the 
  transverse 
  furrow 
  on 
  pronotum 
  very 
  distinct. 
  

   Clypeus 
  finely 
  punctured, 
  the 
  anterior 
  angles 
  bluntly 
  rounded. 
  

   Thorax 
  broad 
  and 
  short, 
  abdomen 
  broadly 
  truncate 
  at 
  base. 
  

   Whole 
  insect 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  long, 
  dense, 
  black 
  pubescence. 
  

  

  Length 
  17 
  mm. 
  

  

  1 
  ?• 
  

  

  Hab. 
  Formosa 
  {A. 
  E. 
  Wilemari). 
  

  

  M. 
  R. 
  du 
  Buysson, 
  who 
  has 
  seen 
  the 
  insect, 
  considers 
  it 
  

   to 
  be 
  very 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  V. 
  variabilis, 
  du 
  Buyss., 
  of 
  which 
  

   species 
  the 
  coloration 
  is 
  very 
  variable. 
  

  

  Vespa 
  mandarinia, 
  Smith. 
  

  

  Vespa 
  mandarinia, 
  Smith, 
  Trans. 
  Eutom. 
  Soc. 
  Lond. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  38, 
  t. 
  viii. 
  

  

  tig-. 
  1 
  (1852) 
  (Japan). 
  

   Vespa 
  magni/ica, 
  var. 
  latilineata, 
  Cam., 
  MS. 
  

  

  Synojica, 
  Sauss. 
  

  

  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  some 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  these 
  wasps. 
  

  

  Du 
  Buysson, 
  in 
  his 
  admirable 
  " 
  Monographie 
  des 
  Vespides 
  

   apparteuant 
  aux 
  genres 
  Apoica 
  et 
  Synoeca" 
  (Soc. 
  Ent. 
  

   France, 
  vol. 
  lxxv. 
  (1906) 
  p. 
  348), 
  says 
  that 
  Saussure 
  and 
  

   Mobius 
  have 
  both 
  represented 
  the 
  nest 
  as 
  having 
  the 
  opening 
  

   at 
  the 
  lower 
  end, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  reality 
  at 
  the 
  top. 
  The 
  

   nests 
  figured 
  were 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  those 
  of 
  Synoeca 
  surinama, 
  L. 
  

   The 
  Rev. 
  G. 
  C. 
  Hungerford 
  Pollen, 
  S.J., 
  who 
  has 
  spent 
  some 
  

   years 
  in 
  British 
  Guiana, 
  has 
  made 
  some 
  most 
  interesting 
  

   observations 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  good 
  

   enough 
  to 
  allow 
  me 
  to 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  It 
  Avill 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  all 
  nests 
  observed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Pollen 
  

   had 
  their 
  solitary 
  opening 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end. 
  

  

  Other 
  interesting 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   a 
  Chalcid 
  fly 
  (Epitelia 
  aculeata, 
  Walker), 
  which 
  was 
  observed 
  

   to 
  oviposit 
  in 
  the 
  nests, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   whole 
  colony 
  of 
  Synoeca 
  would 
  unite 
  in 
  saving 
  their 
  home 
  

   from 
  destruction 
  by 
  the 
  tropical 
  rain. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  are 
  best 
  quoted 
  verbatim 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Pollen's 
  notes 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  About 
  Christmas 
  1908 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  N.W. 
  coast 
  at 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Essequibo 
  River, 
  British 
  Guiana, 
  about 
  35 
  miles 
  

   from 
  Georgetown. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  long 
  stretch 
  of 
  sand 
  with 
  

  

  