182 amp:rican hymenoptera. 



the species, for the reason that they are so exceedingly variable and 

 the amount of material which I had for study was so insufficient 

 that I found it impossible. I have, therefore, done little more than 

 to bring together the descriptions of our species, but trust that others 

 may be encouraged to undertake the serious study of these insects. 

 It is very desirable to secure specimens of the sexes taken from one 

 nest and compare them critically with those of another, and with 

 specimens of the same nest taken at different seasons of the year. 



Description of Species. 



Polistes cauacleiisi!>i (Linn.). — Head and thorax ferruginous brown; 

 antennae ferruginous at their base, black in the middle, orange at the eud ; a little 

 black on the sides of the thorax and in the median dorsal furrow of the meta- 

 thorax ; metathorax with fine, transverse strife. Abdomen brown or blackish ; 

 coxse and femora black, tarsi, ends of the femora and base of the tibiae, ferru- 

 ginous. Wings deep brown, with brown reflections. Length 18 mm. 



Var. A. — The femora ferruginous, black underneath ; tibiae of the middle legs 

 ferruginous. 



Var. B. — Body and legs entirely ferruginous. 



Var. C. — Posterior border of the first segment of the abdomen ferruginous. 



Hab. — Florida, Mississippi (Ashmead), Washington, D. C. (Pack- 

 ard), Texas. 



P. annularis (Linn.). — Black. Head ferruginous, a line on the top of the 



clypeus and vertex black; antennae ferruginous, black in the middle, orange at 

 the end ; the prothorax bordered with red ; tegulae, a point under the wings, two 

 marks on the middle of the mesothorax, two points on the scutellum. and two 

 on the metathorax, reddish; postscutellum ferruginous yellow. Abdomen black, 

 the first segment bordered with yellow. Legs brown, with the articulations 

 yellow. Wings black. Length 18 ram. 



Var. A. — Thorax ferruginous, varied with black. 



Var. B. — Whole insect clear ferruginous. 



Var. C. — Insect brown, often confounded by the color with P. canadensis. 



Var. D. — Thorax and two marks on the sides of the second segment reddish. 



Hab. — North America. Very common in the cotton belt of the 

 South (Ashmead), Brazil (Saussure). 



P. crinitus (Felton) 9.— Head yellow, front and vertex ferruginous; cly- 

 peus convex, rounded at the base: first joint of antennae ferruginous the rest 

 yellow, black above in the middle. Thorax black ; prothorax angular, bordered 

 with yellow; scutellum and postscutellum yellow, separated by a black line; 

 tegulae and a line or mark under the wings rejoining the angles of the prothoi-ax 

 yellow; metathorax smooth, with the median dorsal furrow very pronounced ; 

 articular valves yellow. Abdomen black, all the segments regularly and broadly 

 bordered with yellow, the borders of the second and third very straight and 

 preceded by a red band ; the last two ferruginous yellow. Legs black, ends of 

 the femora, tibiae and tarsi yellow, outer side of the hind legs black. Wings 

 ferruginous, washed with brown. 



