﻿106 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  Meade-Waldo 
  on 
  

  

  shrub 
  and 
  trees 
  (the 
  latter 
  chiefly 
  Courida), 
  extending 
  from 
  

   Suddie 
  S 
  telling 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Pomeroon 
  -River. 
  A 
  

   path 
  runs 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  at 
  20 
  to 
  50 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  

   highest 
  tide-liue. 
  The 
  Synceca 
  appears 
  to 
  favour 
  chiefly 
  a 
  

   spot 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  clay-mud, 
  supporting 
  a 
  fairly 
  dense 
  

   curtain 
  of 
  shrubs, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  protected 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  

   breeze, 
  which 
  blows 
  straight 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  

   year, 
  and 
  also 
  from 
  the 
  sun. 
  The 
  nests, 
  with 
  the 
  charac- 
  

   teristic 
  horizontal 
  ' 
  fluting/ 
  are 
  very 
  numerous, 
  but 
  confined 
  

   to 
  a 
  small 
  locality. 
  They 
  are 
  on 
  a 
  level 
  with 
  the 
  eye, 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  

   feet 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  where 
  the 
  trunks 
  or 
  branches 
  are 
  

   about 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  diameter. 
  All 
  the 
  nests 
  seen 
  by 
  me 
  were 
  

   on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  furthest 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  protected 
  

   from 
  the 
  wind, 
  on 
  a 
  sloping 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   stem 
  above 
  them 
  is 
  a 
  protection 
  from 
  direct 
  rain. 
  As 
  will 
  

   be 
  noticed 
  later, 
  the 
  wasp 
  still 
  has 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  rain 
  running 
  

   down 
  the 
  stem. 
  The 
  entrance 
  is 
  always 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end" 
  *. 
  

  

  Here 
  follows 
  a 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  

   nest, 
  into 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  enter 
  ; 
  but 
  Mr. 
  Pollen 
  

   proceeds 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  one 
  individual 
  colony 
  which 
  

   he 
  kept 
  under 
  observation. 
  The 
  nest 
  had 
  become 
  soaked 
  

   from 
  a 
  heavy 
  deluge 
  of 
  rain. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  colony 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  twenty, 
  

   as 
  I 
  presume 
  all 
  hands 
  were 
  called 
  on 
  deck 
  to 
  ' 
  man 
  the 
  

   pumps.' 
  Shortly 
  after 
  my 
  arrival, 
  during 
  a 
  heavy 
  rainfall, 
  a 
  

   stream 
  of 
  water 
  ran 
  down 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  and 
  soaked 
  

   into 
  the 
  tent-wall. 
  Immediately 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  angry 
  buzzing, 
  

   and 
  some 
  twenty 
  wasps 
  climbed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  

   began 
  sucking 
  up 
  the 
  moisture 
  with 
  their 
  mouths, 
  moving 
  

   their 
  antennas 
  and 
  mandibles 
  rapidly. 
  As 
  each 
  one 
  in 
  

   succession 
  drank 
  up 
  as 
  much 
  moisture 
  as 
  it 
  found 
  convenient, 
  

   it 
  turned 
  to 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tent, 
  and 
  took 
  up 
  a 
  position 
  so 
  

   that 
  it 
  could 
  look 
  down, 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  nest, 
  towards 
  the 
  ground. 
  

   Then, 
  straightening 
  its 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  pair 
  of 
  legs, 
  it 
  

   opened 
  its 
  mandibles 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  possible, 
  and 
  raised 
  its 
  an- 
  

   tennas, 
  which 
  waved 
  about 
  slowly 
  but 
  irregularly, 
  while 
  the 
  

   whole 
  body 
  trembled 
  with 
  the 
  evident 
  effort 
  of 
  bringing 
  up 
  

   all 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  fell 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  big 
  

   drops. 
  From 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  these 
  drops 
  and 
  the 
  slowness 
  with 
  

   which 
  they 
  detached 
  themselves 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  I 
  surmise 
  

   that 
  the 
  water 
  had 
  become 
  rather 
  viscous 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  

   to 
  approach 
  near 
  enough 
  to 
  catch 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  drops. 
  Often 
  

   when 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  drops 
  had 
  fallen 
  the 
  third 
  was 
  too 
  long 
  in 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  italics 
  are 
  mine. 
  — 
  G. 
  M-W. 
  

  

  