t 



448 NOTES BY RURICOLA. 



two cases, one within the other, and not connected together except at 

 the upper extremity : the material much resembling to the eye a coarse 

 greyish paper, with alternate darker and lighter stripes or bands going 

 breadthwise round the fabric. The figure is represented at a : the 

 dimensions about one-half less than those of the nest itself. 



Different from this was another small nest found by a gentleman in 

 my neighbourhood, suspended from a twig in a beech hedge : the end 

 of the twig being woven into the fabric, and serving for its support. 

 This is shaped more like a pear than an egg; perhaps a cabbage rose 

 may be an apt comparison : being broader and flatter at the upper 

 extremity, and verging towards a point at the lower part, which contains 

 the opening. The length of this is about two and a half inches, and the 

 greatest diameter in the other direction rather more. Of this second 

 nest I am not able to send you a sketch. 



The third specimen was taken in my grounds this month, August 

 16th. It is in shape rather spheroidal, the axes being respectively 

 six and seven inches, that from the top to the bottom the greater of the 

 two. As well as I can judge without taking the nest to pieces, 



it consists of several cuticles lapped over each other latitudinally, 

 with alternate shades as in the first mentioned. It was found de- 

 pending from the end of a branch of spruce fir, as represented at b, the 

 smaller twigs and leaves being interwoven with the structure : and it 

 contained a large number of insects. The species I suppose to be that 

 of the Vespa Britannica^ or tree wasp, mentioned in your book on 

 "Insect Architecture," p. 81. It is considerably smaller than the 

 common wasp : the front of the head of a pale yellow ; seven narrow 

 bands of yellow round the body, interchanged with others of a dingy or 

 blackish green ; the legs of a bright orange ; the animal in general 

 covered with grey hairs. I am no entomologist, as you will readily 



