218 VESPA ARBOREA. 



ferruginous stains; the following segments with two black 

 spots. 



Var. a. The scape yellow in front very rarely. 



Worker. Length 5^-6 lines. Agrees with the female in colour- 

 ing, but varies perhaps more in the colouring of the abdomen, 

 the first two segments being in rare instances almost entirely 

 rufous. 



Male. Length 6-8 lines. The scape yellow in front ; the line 

 on the outer orbit of the eyes extends from their summit to 

 the base of the mandibles, and that in the sinus of the eyes is 

 continued down to the clypeus; the abdomen is coloured 

 similar to the other sex, but differs in sometimes having the 

 lateral spots united to the basal black band. The variety is very 

 rare ; the antennae reaching to the margin of the second seg- 

 ment of the abdomen. 



A rare variety of the female has a transverse black band on 

 the first abdominal segment ; the usual three black spots on the 

 abdomen are replaced by a transverse stripe, at the ends of 

 which is an oblique line, which runs upwards, and unites with 

 the basal band enclosing a rufous spot. 



This species is not so plentiful as the two preceding, but is 

 very widely distributed : from a nest which I obtained in York- 

 shire I bred numerous specimens of Chrysis ignita, and five of 

 Anomalon vesparum. 



Section 2. TREE-WASPS. 

 The scape of the antennce yellow in front in all the sexes. 



4. Vespa arborea. 



V. nigra, flavo-picta ; clypeo flavo, nigro tripunctato ; abdomirie 

 flavo, nigro-picto (V. rufce simillima). 



Vespa borealis, Smith, Zool. i. 170. 6. f . 1 $ (nee Kirly, nee 



Zett.). 

 Vespa arborea, Smith, Zool. vii. Supp. p. Ix. 



Sauss. Mon. Guepes Soc. 122. 5. pi. 14. f . 8 ? : 



The same size as V. rufa ? , and similarly coloured, but having 

 very rarely any tinge of rufous ; the clypeus more produced, 

 emarginate, and the angles subdentate, never having a central 

 line, but only three minute dots : it also differs from V. rufa in 

 having the legs stouter, longer, and very pubescent ; the colour 

 of the abdomen is different, being sulphur-yellow ; the crown- 



