POMPILUS. ]49 



yellow; wings flavo-hyaline, with the apex of the anterior pair 

 dark fuscous, the nervures ferruginous ; the tips of the joints of the 

 tarsi and of the posterior tibiae dark fusco-ferruginous. Abdomen 

 ferruginous, with a yellow fascia at the basal margin of each seg- 

 ment ; one or two of the apical fasciae slightly interrupted or emar- 

 ginate, the fasciae more or less bordered with black or dark fus- 

 cous ; beneath, the second, third, and fourth segments with broad 

 yellow fasciae. 



Hob. Bombay. 



This species strongly resembles various species of wasps included 

 in the genus Polistes. 



30. Pompilus decor atus. 



Female. Length 6| lines. — Black, adorned with white and pale 

 blue pile ; the head, thorax, and abdomen with white lines and 

 spots. The front, below the antennae, with bright silvery-white 

 pile ; the orbits of the eyes with a narrow white line, that is in- 

 terrupted at their summit. The prothorax, and the metathorax at 

 its base and apex laterally, with pale blue pubescent pile ; the 

 legs have a fine silvery pile ; the posterior margin of the prothorax, 

 a small transverse spot on the mesothorax at the base of the scu- 

 tellum, a spot at the base of the anterior wings, and another at the 

 base of the posterior tibiae, white or very pale yellow ; wings 

 hyaline, with the tips of the anterior pair beyond the third sub- 

 marginal cell dark fuscous ; the tibiae and tarsi spinose. The ab- 

 domen rather longer than the head and thorax ; the second and 

 third segments with a transverse ovate white macula laterally 

 towards their basal margins, and a white fascia at the base of 

 the fifth. 



Hab. Bombay. 



31. Pompilus simillimus. 



Female. Length 6| lines. — Black, and variegated with grey pile ; 

 wings fuscous, the anterior pair darker at their apex beyond the 

 third submarginal cell. The anterior margin of the clypeus trun- 

 cate ; the face with changeable grey pile. The prothorax, sides of 

 the mesothorax, the metathorax, and the scutellum with grey pile, 

 brighter in certain lights ; the legs pilose, most densely so on 

 the coxae and femora beneath. The basal margins of the segments 

 of the abdomen with fasciae of grey pile.- 



Hab. Calcutta. 



This species is very like P. canifrons from Sumatra, but its meta- 

 thorax is different in form, being squarer posteriorly, the apical 

 angles being somewhat produced; the neuration of the anterior 



