ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



167 



and very durable foundation for a collecting 

 net. The cork being extracted, will leave a 

 convenient socket for inserting a stick or walk- 

 ing cane to serve as a handle. The net should 

 be made of •' millinet," "book muslin," or 

 " mosquito bar,'' as is most convenient ; it 

 should not exceed two feet in depth, and will 

 prove much more durable if the wire be bound 

 with cloth or leather, to Mhich the muslin may 

 be sewed. If tlie loop be made of the dimen- 

 sions above suggested, one yard of material 

 will suffice for the net. One or more small 

 boxes of two inches depth, lined with pith, to 

 carry in the pocket ; a paper or cushion of i)ins, 

 and a wide-mouthed vial of alcohol, will com- 

 plete this inexpensive outlit for the coUcitor. 

 Various circumstances will suggest moditioa- 

 tions or improvements in the apparatus. 



In the next paper we shall endeavor to give 

 an acount of some of the objects to be collected. 



THE BAI/D-FACEl) HORNET. 



Colors — Brown-I.ilack iiml cri'iun-3'ello\v. 



There are few insects more interesting than 

 the wasps ; and though some of the family arc 

 greatly abused for their depredations in the 

 fruit line, yet I have little doubt that their 

 oft'ending in this, is much more than compen- 

 sated for by the immense amount of grubs and 

 flies destroyed by them to feed their young. It 

 must be confessed, though, that the Avay in 

 which tliey " clean out" a Green-gage or Apri- 

 cot is " beyond anything," leaving nothing 

 within but the suspended stone ; the glowing 

 skin hanging beautiful as evei', but, like some 

 other beauties, terribly empty. 



It cannot very well be denied that the wasps 

 were the first paper-makers. As their manu- 

 factories were, it is to be presumed, in full blast 

 long before there were any rags, they use wood 

 instead, and produce from it, if not what we 

 would call a first-class, certainly in every way 

 a very creditable, article of paper. 



The Bald-faced Hornet {Vesjxi iitactdaUi, 

 Linn.), is a remai'kable species, entitled to 

 much mention for its beauty and grace, as well 



as other qualities. I do not know how far 

 northward its range extends ; but I have met 

 with it on Lake Superior, where it is abundant 

 and of a large size. 



I was much amused there one day, in the 

 month of August, while at work in my tent, 

 watching these IJald-faced Hornets on their for- 

 aging expeditions, catching flies to feed their 

 young. The easy grace with which they cap- 

 ture a fly while on the wing, is truly wonderful. 

 To select a fly and pounce on it, dexterously 

 seizing it, is the work of an instant. The wasp 

 then alights, and prepares its victim for trans- 

 portation, trimming it by cutting off the limbs, 

 as superfluities which would encumber the re- 

 turning flight. One by one drop down the 

 slender legs of the fly, and the gauzy wings 

 flutter away, as neatly nipped ofl" as though 

 done with tiny scissors. Next, proceeding to 

 roll the denuded fly into a compact parcel, or 

 rather pellet, the wasp moistens it with its saliva 

 for this purpose, and, finally, flies off suddenly 

 and rapidly to its nest with its prey. 



This wasp is one of the '• Paper-makers," and 

 is the largest of our species. Though its general 

 color is dark brown, almost black, the face, as 

 the English or popular name implies, is white, 

 and the thorax and abdomen are also beautifully 

 marked with curiously-shaped bands and spots 

 of the same creamy or yellowish-white. (See 

 Fig. l*iG). I have noticed considerable variation 

 in these, particularly in their shape. 



One thing appears strange in the proceeding 

 just narrated. From the very first moment of 

 its seizure by the wasp, the fly seems perfectly 

 resigned to its fate, not making the least resist- 

 ance or even motion, so far as 1 observed, or 

 the usual bu/.ziug cry it utters when captured 

 by a spider. This would appear to indicate 

 that it is stunned or paralyzed by the wasp. 

 Anil did we not know that this wasp feeds its 

 larva; daily, we might be led to consider this a 

 case of paralysis or suspended animation — the 

 prey being laid away for future use. 



My tent being " filled with flies," as soon as 

 the wasps found their way into it, they went 

 briskly to work, llying to and fro on their mur- 

 derous errand. The systematic way in which 

 they performed it was almost laughable ; though 

 I could not help feelii;g that what was fun for 

 mc was death to the flies. The strength and 

 determination evinced by the wasps in this, and 

 also in collecting and preparing the material for 

 their paper cells, are truly remarkable. I have 

 seen them strip off, for this latter purpose, the 

 weather-worn splinters from the wood of an 

 old house, all day, with laborious zeal, flying oft 



