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THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 993 
marked with a black line, and with a dot on either side of it 
(thus .|.), but occasionally the line is wanting, and replaced 
by a third dot (thus .*.); otherwise the insects are much 
alike, in habits as well as appearance: both build under- 
ground, use sound wood, and work on until late in the fall. 
Both species may now be taken in abundance at out-door 
grapes, pears, fallen apples, &c., as well as in grocers’ shops, 
and windows generally. 
V. sylvestris has a clear yellow face, with one minute 
central black dot scarcely larger than the point of a pin, and 
in some specimens scarcely visible at all. The bands of 
black and yellow on the abdomen are of nearly equal width 
throughout, and wanting the tongue-like projections so 
observable in V. rufa and V. germanica, but the two small 
black dots in each yellow band are generally present, 
especially on the first three segments of the abdomen nearest 
the thorax. This species is therefore best known by its clear 
yellow face. It builds, as stated above, occasionally under- 
ground, but generally suspended from trees, roofs, &c., and 
uses sound wood; but the nests are deserted, and the males 
and workers dead, by the middle or latter end of August, so 
that the species could not be found now unless a queen were 
disturbed from her hybernaculum. 
V. vulgaris very closely resembles V. sylvestris in the 
markings on the abdomen, but may always and easily be 
distinguished from that species by its well-defined anchor- 
_ shaped mark on the face. It builds its nest of rotten wood 
generally under-ground, but sometimes in hollow trees or in 
thatch, but never suspends it in the open air. The males and 
workers are never seen after August. 
To sum up, V. vulgaris and V. sylvestris have the bands on 
the abdomen resembling each other, but the faces very 
different. V. vulgaris and V. rufa have both well-defined 
anchor-shaped marks on the face, but the abdomens are 
very differently banded. V. germanica and V. sylvestris 
occasionally approach each other in the markings of the 
face, but the markings on the abdomen will at all times 
distinguish them. 
I would therefore advise your readers to collect a few 
specimens of V. germanica and V. rufa this autumn, before 
the males and workers die off; and next summer they may 
probably obtain V. sylvestris and V. vulgaris. 
