1932 ] Notes on Cuban Wasps and their Parasites 
13 
twig about two meters above the ground. When I dis- 
turbed the wasps, they flew away, so I broke off the twig 
and found, upon examining the nest, that all the cells were 
empty. This fact probably accounts for the readiness with 
which the wasps took flight. Hoping they would return, I 
came back later in the afternoon ; with better success than 
before, I captured a total of sixteen specimens. 
In addition to these individuals (9 workers and 7 males), 
I collected two stray queens; one was taken at Castillo 
de Jagua on September 5, and the other at Limones Seboru- 
co, Soledad, on September 15. The sexual dimorphism of 
the female sex is very marked, as may be seen in the fol- 
lowing table, where the total length of the head, thorax, 
and first two tergites of the abdomen is given in mil- 
limeters : 
Size Males 
Mm. (Sept. 3) 
7 1 
7.5 6 
8 — 
8.5 — 
9 — 
9.5 — 
10 — 
10.5 — 
II — 
11.5 — 
12 — 
Two of the above specimens were stylopized: one of the 
7.5 mm. males had one parasite under the left side of the 
fifth tergite, and one of the 8.5 mm. workers had one para- 
site under the left side of the fourth tergite and one para- 
site under the right side of the fifth tergite. 
The nest of Polistes incertus was previously unknown. 
The present example (see plate 1, figures 1 and 2) is fast- 
ened to the twig by a single attachment at the base of the 
uppermost cells. The comb hangs in a vertical plane, but 
Workers Queens 
(Sept. 3) (Sept. 5 and 15) 
2 — 
6 — 
1 — 
1 
1 
