WASPS' NESTS. 483 



rior part of the foot is marked with straight lines directed 

 backwards, while the anterior is finely tesselated as in the 

 bodies of common snails. Under the name of Vitrina, 

 Quoy (Voy. Astrol. t. 2, fig. 1, 2, 8, 5, 16,) has given 

 several figures of this genus, which was established by 

 Mr. Gray. The species observed by me was of a 

 pinkish-white colour, and brownish-red towards the ante- 

 rior part and end of the tail. The animal, like the shell, 

 was very delicate and semipellucid. The shell was faint 

 flesh colour, with a crimson stripe following the suture of 

 the body whorl. 



Attached sideways, by a slender peduncle, to the under 

 surface of the long leaves of the Pandanus trees, with 

 which as I have said the interior of this pretty little islet 

 abounded, were numbers of wasps'-nests, belonging to a 

 species of Polistes, and beautifully fashioned of a paper- 

 like material. They consisted of several tiers of cells of 

 the usual hexagonal form, with their mouths directed 

 downwards and to one side, and increasing in number as 

 they receded from the point of attachment, thus rendering 

 the nests of a conical shape. In each cell reposed a fat 

 white larva, somewhat doubled up, with its head down- 

 wards, and to one side. Some of the cells were covered 

 with a lid and were full of honey, but whether the larvae 

 could get at it appeared to me somewhat problematical, 

 unless their careful mothers fed them, like sparrows and 

 pigeons do their little ones. I noticed two kinds of ants'- 

 nests on the island, one species of the size of a man's 

 hand adhering to the trunk of trees, resembled, when 

 cut through, a section of the lungs ; the other was 

 composed of small withered bits of sticks and leaves, 



