THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER 
175 
by one species of wasp in constructing 
her subterranean dwelling; and that it 
is well adapted to the purpose, notwith- 
standing that Mr. Smith has expressed a 
contrary opinion, the fact of its being so 
employed, and doubtless having been so 
employed ever since the creation of the 
wasp in question, is a sufficient proof; 
for which is the more likely to be right, — 
the insect, directed by unerring instinct, 
or man, led on by his own erring judg- 
ment ? 
It is most singular that Mr. Smith 
should never have met with an under- 
ground nest composed of decayed wood, 
seeing that in this part of the country, 
as I have already shown, they are by no 
means uncommon ; and equally strange 
is it, but it is nevertheless a fact, that all 
the nests from under the roofs of buildings 
— they have been five only in number — 
which have come under my observation, 
have been made of material obtained not 
from decayed but from sound wood. 
The wasp which is with us the most 
abundant, and which we have been in 
the habit of considering as V. vulgaris , 
builds from scrapings of sound wood. 
Now place a working community of these 
alongside one of those which make use of 
decayed wood, and it at once becomes a 
parallel case with that of France versus 
Austria. The latter — I mean the latter 
kind of wasps — from their inferiority in 
size and strength, as compared with their 
opponents, being very soon put hors de 
combat. But place any two colonies of 
the same species in as close proximity to 
each other as you please, provided the 
parent wasps belonging to the two nests 
be kept from coming into collision, and 
there will be no fighting, but the work 
will go on as smoothly as possible, the 
workers will attach themselves indis- 
criminately to either nest, sometimes 
working at one, sometimes at the other. 
Having placed communities of the wasp 
which builds with decayed wood beside 
one of every other species which frequents 
this neighbourhood, and seen that fight- 
ing was the immediate result in every in- 
stance, 1 conclude, whether erroneously 
or not remains to be seen, that it is a 
species separate and distinct from all 
others. — S. Stone; August 6. 
EXCHANGE. 
Hadena Chenopodii . — Last year I dis- 
tributed a good many of this species, but 
was unable to supply all my applicants : 
I have now taken many move specimens, 
but have unfortunately lost or mislaid 
the list I made of those who wanted the 
species. If any of my correspondents 
still require it, I shall be happy to supply 
them, or any one else, as long as my 
stock lasts, on receipt of a box with 
return postage.— R. Wright, 4 , Gloucester 
Terrace , Victoria Parle Road, Hackney , 
N.E. ; August 22. 
DEILEPHILA EUPHORBIAS. 
To the Editor of the ‘ Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — A fortnight ago the larvae of 
Deilephila Euphorbia; was offered in ex- 
change for other insects ; but as the 
insects of Jersey are not admitted into 
our British lists, and as there are numbers 
in the country who would gladly accept 
the larvae and find it in some convenient 
place here, I think it is advisable that 
the parties offering the above should 
publish the names of the individuals to 
whom they may supply it, so that, in the 
event of this insect turning up here 
accidentally, a clue might be obtained. 
I am well known for my antipathy to 
such proceedings, and the insertion of 
this is at present all I will trouble you 
for. 
B. A. 
Paralias Hall, August 20. 
