222 VESPA CRABRO. 



Vespa Crabro, Linn. Faun. Suec. 1670; Syst. Nat. i. 948. 3; Sf 

 Cab. Mus. Linn. Soc. 

 Reaum. Mem. Ins. vi. 215. t. 18. f. 1. 

 Fabr. Syst. Ent. 364. 8 ; Ent. Syst. ii. 255. 9 ; Syst. Piez. 



255. 8. 



Scop. Ent. Cam. 824. 

 Schrank, Ins. Austr. 786. 

 Fourc. Ent. Par. ii. 430. 1. 

 Harris, Engl. Ins. 127. t. 24. f . 1 ? . 

 Don. Brit. Ins. xiv. 85. t. 502. 

 Walckm. Faun. Par. ii. 90. 

 Latr. Hist. Crust, et Ins. xiii. 350. 

 Ratz. Forst. Ins. Bd. iii. 51. t. 4. f. 6 ? . 

 Zeit. Ins. Lapp. 35, 1. 

 St. Farg. Hym. i. 509. 7. pi. 9. f. 1, 2. 

 Sauss. Mon. Guepes Soc. 130. 10. 



Female. Length 13-14 lines. Head ferruginous ; a triangular 

 spot between the antennae, the sinus of the eyes, the mandibles, 

 and vertex, yellow ; the teeth of the mandibles black ; the an- 

 tennae fuscous, more or less ferruginous towards their base. 

 Thorax ferruginous, with a black patch on each side of the 

 mesothorax, the pectus more or less black or fuscous ; wings 

 fulvo-hyaline, darkest anteriorly, the nervures ferruginous ; the 

 legs ferruginous, and covered with a shining pile. Abdomen : 

 the first segment and basal half of the second ferruginous, the 

 base of the first of a brighter red, the apical margin with a 

 narrow yellow band ; the ferruginous band on the second seg- 

 ment with its apical margin angulated in the middle, and with 

 a united ferruginous spot on each side ; the apical half, as well 

 as the rest of the segments,, yellow, each segment with a ferru- 

 ginous or fusco-ferruginous spot on each side; beneath the 

 base of the segments reddish brown, with a united spot of the 

 same colour on each side. 



Worker. Length 9-11 lines. Of the same colouring as the 

 female, but usually brighter. 



Male. The size of the worker, and similarly coloured ; distin- 

 guished by having the antennae longer than the thorax. 



This species is widely distributed, but not, to my knowledge, 

 found so far north as Yorkshire ; nor am I aware of its being 

 found in Ireland. It is very plentiful in Hampshire, usually 

 building in decaying trees, sometimes under the eaves of houses, 

 and it has been discovered building in a bank. I have observed 

 it carrying on its building operations on a fine moonlight night 

 as briskly as during the daytime. 



