48 Mr. F. Smith on Hymenopterous Insects captured in India. 



to one of the Hymenoptera, which you will find with its cells : I 

 have confirmed what I never had an opportunity of doing before, 

 although it has been stated by authors that the young are fed 

 by the parent ; such was the case in this instance, as I had daily 

 opportunities of seeing the larva fed. A single egg is deposited 

 in each cell very soon after the commencement of it, and the 

 cell is built up as the larva grows, not finished at once ; and the 

 parent possesses the necessary instinct to close the cells when the 

 larva? are ready to undergo their change." 



This is a very interesting note, and shows how closely these 

 smaller communities of wasps resemble those of the more popu- 

 lous species of Vespidce. The common wasp of Europe, the 

 V. vulgaris, deposits her eggs in cells which are only raised about 

 the eighth of an inch ; and as the larva grows the cells are built 

 up. But I do not feel at all satisfied that the working wasps 

 close the cells as soon as the larva? are full-fed. On dissolving 

 the comb of a wasp's nest, it will be found that the covering is 

 not merely over the mouth of the cell, but that it is continued 

 down the sides within, varying in extent in different species. I 

 cannot but think that the cells are closed by the larva? them- 

 selves, not only in wasp communities, but also in those of the 

 social Apidce. 



The nest of this species is similar to that of Polistes, being 

 merely a comb of exposed cells twenty-five in number, from six 

 of which the perfect insect has come forth, the other cells being 

 of different heights ; but all contain either an egg, a larva, or a 

 pupa. 



Epipona variegata. 



Female (length 3^ lines) ferruginous, a line within the eyes 

 reaching the emargination, the clypeus and a spot above it be- 

 tween the antennae, the scape in front, the mandibles and a 

 broad line behind the eyes, yellow; the clypeus has a ferru- 

 ginous stain in the centre. Thorax, the anterior margin of the 

 metathorax, the collar, tegula?, a spot beneath the wings, the an- 

 terior margin of scutellum, the post-scutellum, two ovate macula? 

 on the metathorax, two spots on the breast, the coxa? in front, 

 and a line on the anterior and intermediate femora beneath, and 

 also a line on all the tibia above, yellow. Abdomen, a minute 

 spot at the apical margin of the peduncle, two ovate macula? at 

 the base of the second segment and a broad band at its apical 

 margin, yellow ; a fuscous spot occupies the apical half of the 

 marginal cell. 



Hab. Poona. 



This species was accompanied by its nest, which consists of a 

 single comb of cells about an inch in length and half an inch 



