8660 



Insects. 



reported in the 'Zoologist' (Zool. 7807), Professor Westwood is said 

 to have remarked that I had detected the larvae of llythia sociella in 

 the nest of a Bombus. This is incorrect: it was the above-mentioned 

 nest of Vespa sylvestris to which I drew the Professor's attention as 

 containing lepidopterons larvae, when he obligingly pointed out to me 

 the name of the species. The larvae of this insect are generally 

 represented as feeding on the wax or honey contained in the nests of 

 humble bees : such may possibly be their general habit, but the 

 present instance shows that there is an occasional departure from it, 

 and as wasps' nests do not contain either wax or honey it is clear the 

 larvae in question do not entirely depend upon a supply of those 

 articles for support, but that they can subsist upon other substances, 

 the larvae and pupae of the wasps contained in the nest above 

 described having apparently formed the diet of the brood which had 

 become domiciled in it. 



The same evening I took out a nest of V. vulgaris, the combs in 

 which were in a deplorably mouldy condition : a number of full-grown 

 larvae of apparently a large dipterous insect were found in it. It con- 

 tained but few living wasp larvae. This had been a very populous 

 nest, but the same fatality had lately attended it that had attended all 

 those of this species 1 had recently examined, and although, after 

 having been carefully searched for larvae of Ripiphorus, each nest 

 was, with the insects belonging to it, placed in a suitable position for 

 further work, and the workers belonging to each colony were liberally 

 supplied with sugar, but little work was done, the insects in each 

 case gradually becoming fewer in number till all had disappeared, 

 while, under similar circumstances, and with the same kind of treat- 

 ment, the colonies of Vespa germanica I had established increased 

 rapidly in size and strength. 



I also the same evening took out a nest of V. germanica, the crown 

 of which was studded with small pearl-like objects identical with those 

 alluded to at the commencement of this paper as having been pro- 

 nounced at a meeting of the Entomological Society to be minute pupa- 

 cases. They were of three distinct kinds, one much larger than the 

 other two. By far the greater number were empty, but from several 

 of the larger, and from a few of one of the smaller kinds, I obtained 

 larvae. On showing the larger objects, with the larvae produced from 

 them, to Professor Westwood, that gentleman at once identified them 

 as the eggs of a Volucella. 



On the loth I took out a small nest of V. germanica, which appeared 

 'iot to have increased in size or the colony in number for some weeks 



