1 & 5. Nests of _Polistes tasmaniensis_. 2. _Icaria gregaria_ (Sauss.). 3. Slender nest typical of Genus _Icaria_. 4. _Polistes tasmaniensis_ (Sauss.). (Original photo. Burton.)] [Illustration: _Plate XV.--HYMENOPTERA._] The widespread Genus _Vespa_, though it is recorded from as far down as Java, is unknown in Australia. We have however allied species belonging to the genera _Icaria_ and _Polistes_. Those of the genus _Icaria_ are the smaller wasps, the largest well under ½ an inch in length; most of them are reddish brown, or mottled with black and yellow; the abdomen is contracted into a stalk at the base, then becomes rounded, with the apical segments small and telescopic, so that when retracted it looks as if it were damaged. They all form similar nests commencing with the usual stalk, but, unlike the larger _Polistes_, the cells follow on in rows, forming finger-like nests. _Icaria gregaria_, our commonest species, forms these slender nests up to six inches in length. It is a dull reddish brown wasp mottled with black on the thorax and legs, with the apex of the abdomen lightest in colour. Some of the members of the Genus _Polistes_ grow to a considerable size, and armed with a powerful sting are very formidable insects; several of the largest form small stalked nests on the under-side of fallen logs; when hunting for insects and turning over dead wood one is liable to disturb a family party and find it wise to beat a hasty retreat. They differ from the previous group in having no stalk to the abdomen, which is very slender at the base, rounded to the middle and tapers to a pointed apex. _Polistes tasmaniensis_, our most sociable species, is very fond of building her large nest (previously noticed) under one’s verandah, or the porch over the door, and is quite ready to attack any one when disturbed. It is one of the smallest species, measuring under ¾ of an inch in length; is of a general dark brown colour marked with reddish brown; the abdomen is irregularly banded, with the first basal band finest. _Polistes tepidus_, one of our largest wasps, is almost black, with face, tips of legs, and thorax marked with dark orange yellow, and the abdomen banded with rusty red. _Polistes humilis_ is of an almost uniform yellowish brown tint, with the face marked with black. In the Queensland Museum there are some very large paper-nests of some undetermined wasps that have a regular comb-like structure containing thousands of cells, and which are several feet in length. Family 21. Shining Wasps. MASARIDAE. These curious wasps stand quite alone as the last group of the true Vespidae, and are a comparatively small family, comprising several distinctive genera containing altogether sixty species found in the Mediterranean region, South and North America, and Australia.