iv] DIPLOPTERA 45 



of time. She may be seen flying to and fro in ever 

 Avidening oscillations over the hole until all the 

 neighbouring objects are impressed upon her memory. 

 Before actually beginning to build she excavates with 

 her jaws a small chamber at the end of the tunnel, 

 carrying the loosened soil out on to the surface. She 

 then proceeds to gather material for the construction 

 of her nest. This she obtains by rasping off with her 

 jaws the weathered surface of wooden posts, palings, 

 etc. ; it is very seldom that rotten wood is used either 

 by the "queen" or by the workers. Nearly any oak 

 fence in the open country bears upon it during the 

 summer time hundreds of marks as if it had been 

 lightly scraped with the finger nail : these marks are 

 made by the jaws of wasps. Having collected a small 

 pellet of wood-fibre moistened with saliva from her 

 mouth, the "queen" carries it off and applies it as a 

 thin layer of "wasp-paper" to the top of the cavity 

 which is to hold the nest, usually attaching it to one 

 or more small roots capable of sustaining the weight 

 of several pounds. By repetitions of this process at 

 length a disc is formed, and from the centre of this 

 is hung a narrow stalk which widens out at its lower 

 end to form the hexagonal outlines of the first four 

 cells. These four are arranged in the form of a cross 

 which forms the centre of the comb of cells con- 

 structed by the "queen." This comb contains about 

 two dozen cells ; they are all closed above but open 



