1898.] ■ 91 



Early appearance of Andrena Clarlcella. — Whilst walking on the road between 

 here and Bearstead, on February 19th, I was somewhat surprised to see Andrena 

 Clarkella out in some numbers. They were very active and not easy to catch, as I 

 had no net ; however, I secured two ? and eleven $ specimens. I did not see 

 Anthophora pilipes or Andrena Gwynana, though both are found at the same place. 

 The day was very hot, though the weather changed the next morning. I am told 

 that Apis mellifica was out on the same day. The earliest date at which I had 

 previously taken A. Clarkella was March 1st, 1891.— Gr. E. Feisby, 27, Hedley 

 Street, Maidstone : March 1st, 1893. 



Peculiar economy of a species of Mumenes. — The last part of " Insect Life " 

 (Vol. V, No. 2, p. 106) contains an article by Mr. E. B. Southwick on the " Parsnip 

 Web-worm " {Depressaria heracliana, De Geer), in which is the following account 

 of the action of the "Potter Wasp " {Eumenes fraterna) in obtaining the larvae of 

 the moth, which live in webs on the umbels of the wild parsnip, and on which it 

 preys : — • 



" One of these wasps would alight on the umbel in which a web was situated, 

 and would begin to peer into it, first at one end and then at the other, all the time 

 getting more and more excited. On discovering the worm within it would commence 

 to run its abdomen into the end of the web, with its head directed towards the 

 opposite end, trying in this way to eject the occupant, and every now and then 

 darting at the orifice as the worm would approach it. In this way it would work 

 for a long time, first at one end and then at the other, no doubt each time thrusting 

 out its sting. In this way it continued packing the silken cell at each end until it 

 became too short to longer cover the larva and keep out of reach of sting and jaws, 

 and it was forced to show itself, when the mandibles of the wasp sank deep into it, 

 and it was dragged forth from its burrow. Sometimes this was done with great 

 diiEculty, but by repeated stings and jerks it would finally be dislodged, when the 

 wasp would again sting it, and then fly away with it to its cell as food for its young." 

 — Eds. 



Wasps and wasp-nest beetles in Scotland. — The sandy district in the north of 

 Morayshire, near Forres, appears to be well off for species of the genus Yespa. The 

 commonest wasp there last autumn was V. vulgaris, but in regard to the number of 

 nests, V. norvegica [hritannica) runs it close in places. This wasp builds but a few 

 feet above the ground in hedges and shrubberies, and also on the lower boughs of 

 trees ; it seems to prefer the neighbourhood of dwellings, and an immense number of 

 nests accordingly get destroyed early in the season. The nests vary much in size ; I 

 have a large one about eight inches in diameter. This nest, which was in a privet 

 hedge, was remarkable for the fact that when taken it contained, as far as I can make 

 out, only workers and males, the latter in very great numbers, besides a plentiful supply 

 of earwigs. I kept it for some time indoors, in the hope of breeding out a queen or 

 two, but failed altogether, though males, workers and earwigs continued to appear ; 

 in fact, I never got a queen of this species. Vespa silvestris builds, I believe, in the 

 high fir and other trees, chiefly out of reach. I took a couple of workers of silves- 

 tris, but I put off taking the tree nests till too late. The tree wasps being less 

 protected from cold than the other species, break up their nests much earlier than 



