122 WASPS. 



head is the largest I have seen, and comtnonly more of the size of a 

 yellow Turnip." 



Orkney. — My other north British observation was very satisfactory 

 as to absence of Wasp presence, and was sent me in the following short 

 note, on October 18th, by Mr. Thos. McDonald, from The Gardens, 

 Balfour Castle, Isle of Orkney, in reply to my enquiries: — "I am 

 happy to say that I have not seen a dozen "Wasps during my sixteen 

 years in Orkney.' 



ENGLAND. 



YoRKs. — Beaumont Park Museum, Huddersfield. From Mr. S. 

 L. Mosley, F.E.S., as a practical collector, as well as scientific ento- 

 mologist, I had hoped just possibly to get a note of observation of the 

 very rare Vesj}a arhorea ; but, as will be seen below, this was not tbe 

 case, so that the only note of observation of this species in live condi- 

 tion which I can give in these pages, is from the specimens taken 

 accideutally (not in connexion with their nest) by myself some years 

 ago in Gloucestershire, and then identified by the late Fred. Smith, of 

 the British Museum (see ante, p. 114). 



Mr. Mosley wrote me : — "As to the Wasps, we have had a great 

 many about during the summer, but not, I think, so bad as in the south. 

 The great majority are V. vulgaris, but V. sylvestris is not uncommon. 

 F. crabro does not occur here, though it has often been reported to me, 

 but always turned out large female vulgaris, or nests of some of the 

 tree species. I have never noticed V. arborea, not to know it." 



Writing from Preston, Hull, Yorks, Mr. H. L. Leonard mentioned 

 (as below) the great prevalence of Wasps in that neighbourhood, and 

 also a method found serviceable for destroying the nests; — "Wasps. — 

 We have had a most unusual quantity this year. A few years ago, I 

 particularly noticed a very large number of * pioneer ' Wasps in tbe 

 spring ; these appeared to make for the kitchen, and were destroyed : 

 during the summer following, I don't suppose I saw a score of Wasps 

 in all. This spring, on the contrary, I only saw one ' pioneer' Wasp, 

 and in the summer the ordinary Wasps were a positive pest, they 

 were everywhere. 



" Eemedy. — I always fill an empty cartridge-case with about one 

 part flour of sulphur to four parts of gunpowder, damp slightly, attach 

 a lighted fuse, and place in the hole leading to where the swarm is 

 located, in ten minutes every one will be suffocated." 



Norfolk. — The following notes with which I was favoured by Mr. 

 Edw. A. Atmore, F.E.S., of King's Lynn, Norfolk, contain some very 

 interesting observations on various points of the Wasp infestation. 

 One of these is the trouble caused by them to men and horses in the 



