318 ME. H. L. BOTH ON THE HABITS OP 



Notes on the Habits of some Australian Hymenoptera Aculeata. 

 By HE]!fBT Ling Eoth. (Communicated by Sir J. Lubbock:, 

 Bart., Pres. Linn. Soc.) 



[Eead 20th November, 1884.] 



[Mb. E-oth has recently transmitted to the British Museum, 

 through Sir John Lubbock, a series of Ants and other Hyme- 

 noptera from Mackay, Queensland. By Mr. Eoth's desire, I have 

 selected such of his accompanying observations as appear to be 

 of sufficient interest for publication, and have added the correct 

 names of the species. I have also described a species of MJiyn- 

 chium which seems to be new. — W. F. Kiebt.] 



FOSS OBES. 

 SPHEaiD^. 



Pelop^us l^ttjs, Smith. 



These "Wasps are exceedingly common. When living in the 

 country, it is very difficult to keep them out of the house. They 

 build their nests anywhere and everywhere — on the walls, ceil- 

 ings, on the legs of chairs, under the table, in crevices, cupboards, 

 in vases, between pictures and the walls, in the roof, once in a 

 pipe (12th Nov, 1883), and even on curtains. 



They construct their nests very diffi;reutly from Eumenes La- 

 treillii {vide infra, p. 321). Having chosen a desirable spot, 

 they go in search of the necessary mud. This they obtain from 

 the moist or wet soil on the margin of creeks or puddles. Having 

 scraped enough particles together and made them up into a ball 

 about the size of their thorax, they carry it away and begia 

 building. The marks of the layers of mud are very distinctly 

 visible. "When the site chosen is not a very good one, as for 

 instance between a picture and the wall, these cells are some- 

 times flattened out in course of construction as shown in the 

 accompanying figs. 1 «-l e. I may here remark that ^q layers of 

 mud are not very distinctly shown in this figure, in consequence of 

 the wasp having been unable to obtain sufficiently dry mud, owing 

 to the prevailing wet weather, and the layers therefore run into 

 one another. When the mud is very wet the wasp drops a 

 quantity, and the ground below which she is building is frequently 

 covered with the fallen particles. 



In her flight she stridulates very like a bee, but with a much 

 deeper tone. As soon, however, as she has settled to work either 

 in collecting mud or in the actual construction of her nest, she 



