156 The Book of Bugs. 



but trouble to be got plenty of that, though by staying 

 around, it looks kind of slack-witted not to " scuttle." 

 It may be brave to stand your ground, but it isn't very 

 bright. I cannot see, either, that there is much difference 

 between the hornet's nest in Phillips' woods and the one 

 in the Philippine Islands. I think there will be about 

 the same solid comlfort to be got out of taming one as 

 the other. 



The sting in many of the membrane-winged order is a 

 contrivance to bore a hole to lay eggs in. The poison 

 keeps the bark from growing together over the egg and 

 smothering it. Their stinging the oak causes the galls 

 on it from which ink is made, but why the poison should 

 evoke that peculiar growth is a little too much for our 

 understanding just at present. Near akin to these gall- 

 flies is the Blastophaga, an insect on which, if it consents 

 to take out its citizen papers in this country, depend all 

 the hopes of California fig-growers. Figs they have long 

 been able to raise ; nice, pleasant fruit to eat when ripe and 

 fresh, but a disappointment when dried. They lack the 

 rich, ripened seeds of the Smyrna fig. The seeds are 

 there, but hitherto they could not be set because there 

 was no way of getting pollen to them except by poking 

 it into the fruit with a toothpick dabbled in the flowers 

 of the male tree. After many vain attempts, in June, 

 1899, the BlastopJiaga, imported from Greece in the wild 

 figs wrapped in tinfoil and plugged with wax, developed, 

 came out, flew around, and pollinated the California figs. 

 The fruit resulting was fine. It is too early to tell 

 whether this particular importation of insects will die out, 

 but it seems tolerably certain that before long California 

 will produce dry figs as good as anybody's. It all depends 

 upon the Blastophaga. If it will please live- 



The wild fig, or caprifig, is the only fig that has male 



