114 WASPS. 



west part of Gloucestershire whilst observing and collecting to help 

 my late brother, Dr. Ormerod, in the formation of his volume on 

 ' British Social Wasps,' * which, on being submitted to the late Mr. 

 Fred. Smith, of the British Museum, were identified by him as being 

 queens of the V. arhorea. 



The V. crahro, or Hornet, is easily distinguishable from the other 

 species of Wasps by its greater size, and its large proportion of rusty 

 or reddish colouring. In the part of Gloucestershire mentioned above, 



Vespa crabro. — Hornet (queen). 



where there was much woodland, it was not at all uncommon, but its 

 range of habitat is given as not extending, as far as known, so far 

 north as Yorkshire.] 



In general habits it resembles the smaller Vespidae, commonly 

 known as Wasps, but by preference appears neither to build under 

 ground, nor where exposed to weather in trees or hedges, but to select 

 the inside of hollow trees, or logs, or roofs of lofts or sheds ; the 

 individual colonies are less in number than those of the Wasps, 

 and the paper of which the nests are composed is much coarser. The 

 nests sometimes run to a great size, the largest which I have seen, and 

 assisted in securing when deserted in the winter, was taken from a 

 cottage roof in Gloucestershire, and measured fifteen inches across, 

 and nineteen inches in height, although some of the lower part had 

 been removed. \ 



The main points of Wasp life during the year, and the method of 

 formation of the paper-like nests, are given shortly in the following pages 

 as a guide to the customary life-history. For exceptional cases, or 

 minute structural or anatomical details, tlie reader is referred to the 

 many British and Continental publications on the Vespidae. 



* 'British Social Wasps,' illustrated, by Edw. Latham Ormerod, M.D., p. 42, 

 plate 3. Longmans, Green & Co., London. 



t 'Brit. Mus. Catalogue of British Aculeate Hymenoptera,' by Fred. Smith, 

 p. 222. 



X See ' Social Wasps,' by Dr. Ormerod, p. 211. 



