NOTES ON HYMENOPTERA. 69 



It was also ascertained that the ship conveying the liides 

 arrived at Penzance on the 25th of July, 1866, and the 

 Polistes captured about the 15th of August. In 1867 the 

 same ship entered )he port of Penzance on the 31st of July, 

 and the Polistes was again taken during the first week in 

 August. The wasp was shown to the captain of the ship, 

 who at the same time was asked if he had ever observed any 

 insects like it on board; he replied, "they had often plenty 

 of flies and beetles on board," and after attentively looking 

 at the wasp he said, "no doubt it came from his ship, as he 

 had seen hundreds about it when sailing down one of the 

 branches of the La Plata." 



This explanation, I think, fully accounts for the capture 

 of the Polistes; and, at the same time, it suggests a way by 

 which many carrion beetles may be conveyed to this country, 

 in a way that might not occur to Entomologists who pick up 

 such insects in the neighbourhood of Penzance, as well as 

 near ports in other parts of this country. 



It is a remarkable circumstance that Mr. Douglas, of the 

 Custom House, should capture the same species of Polistes 

 in the tobacco warehouse at the St. Katherine's Docks, in 

 the month of August last. He kindly forwarded the insect 

 to me, but, at the same time, could not even suggest the 

 country from whence it came, as the tobacco was imported 

 from all parts of the world. It may not, however, have 

 been imported with tobacco; and the insect might have 

 flown from the hold of some ship lying in the docks. 



At page 87 of the Entomologist's Annual for ]865 a 

 record of the discovery of Formica exsecta will be found, 

 and it will be seen that only the workers were discovered. 

 The following season I again visited Bournemouth, with no 

 better success ; not being able to do so before the month of 



