372 THE REV. ¥. A; WALKER, D-D., Fils, (ON 
to suit their purposes; and Réaumur frequently witnessed 
their operations in mining into a decayed tree, and c carrying 
off what they had gnawed. He observed, also, that in such 
eases they did not make use of the large hole of the tree for 
such an entrance, but went to the trouble of digging a 
gallery, sufficient for the passage of the largest hornet in ‘ite 
nest, through the living and undecayed portion of the tree. As 
this is perforated in a winding direction, it is no doubt intended 
for the purpose of protecting the nest from the intrusion of 
depredators, who could more easily effect an entrance if there 
were not such a tortuous way to pass through. Industrious: 
as is this insect, it never takes needless trouble, and alters its 
nest according to circumstances. The courts are defended 
by a complete cover when the nest is placed in an open 
situation. But when it is built in the hollow of a tree, there 
is no cover at all, the insect evidently knowing that the 
wooden wall with which the cells are surrounded affords a 
sufficient protection. In cases where a cover is made, the 
hornets do not form only a single entrance, as is the case 
with the wasp, but have a large” number of small entrances 
in different parts of the wall. Hornets are, in one sense, more 
industrious than wasps. But if the moon be up, the hornet. 
is sure to work throughout the entire mght, and will often 
do so even when no moon is visible.” 
Extract from Wood’s * Natural History,” p. 501. 
“ Many species of wasp inhabit England, the hornet (Vespa 
erubro) being the largest, and indeed being nearly equal in 
dimensions to any tropical species. This ‘formidable insect 
makes a nest very similar to that of the wasp, but the cells 
are necessarily much larger. The nest is generally placed in 
hollow trees, but I have known a colony of these insects to- 
establish themselves in an outhouse, and to cause great. 
annoyance before they could be expelled.” 
fae ‘act from Lyddeker’s * Royal Natural History,” vol. vi, 
p- 41. 
“Of the better known forms, the common hornet (Vespa 
crabro) is readily distinguished from other species of wasps 
by its large seek and pr ‘evailing tint on the anterior portions 
of the body. It is universally distributed throughout Kurope 
and occurs as far north as Lapland. The solitary female, 
