42 NATURAL HISTORY OF WASPS. 
V. arborea, Plate III, is represented in my cabinet, 
as in most others, by the female only. She is shorter 
and not of such elegant proportions as V. sylvestris. 
The clypeus is marked by three little streaks, radiat- 
ing as it were from the upper edge of the commis- 
sure of the mandibles, the central streak being the 
smallest. There is a yellow line just edging the 
lower limb of the eyes. The corona is large, deeply 
notched in the centre, and with a smaller notch on 
either side on the upper edge; the sides are straight, 
converging to the lower edge, which is slightly hol- 
lowed out. 
The thorax is marked as in the two preceding 
species, but the markings of the abdomen are very 
peculiar, resembling closely those of V. rufa. But 
while in this the orange yellow, as its name indicates, 
is very decided, the gamboge hue is more distinct in 
V. arborea than in any other of our species. The 
first abdominal ring presents three transversely-oval 
black spots, which are sometimes connected to each 
other by a faint shade. The lateral spots are isolated, 
but the central spot is connected by a root with the 
central cusp of the dark band which just shows over 
the square edge of the upper portion of the abdomen. 
In the second ring the black band is spread out into 
a central cusp, on the top of which stands an oval 
spot like a button on a cow’s horn. Below, on either 
side, is an oval spot, corresponding to those noticed 
on the first rmg, but very much smaller, and, as im 
the species already described, rapidly disappearmg in 
the succeeding rings. An indistinct shade connects 
these spots with the central cusp, and sometimes a 
faint line runs up from them towards the sides, 
