THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 



131 



of there that were of any size, we 

 could draw no other conclusion than 

 that the}- were the nests of this hornet 

 in the hrst stage of construction. 

 There they were usually placed under 

 the eaves of houses or about the cor- 

 nices and 1 have seen as many as five 

 or six of them at a time on the same 

 building. They were never more than 

 two inches in diameter and the tubes 

 were about two inches long and about 

 one third of an inch in diameter. 



We do not think that these were the 

 finished nests as they were on a neigh- 

 bor's house and as we were there fre- 

 quently and these nests were often 

 noticed and commented on and no in- 

 sects seen about them we formed the 

 opinion that they were experiments 

 or "play houses" and never used. 



We had there a species that we 

 called the yellow hornet but they may 

 have been queen yellow jackets as 

 they were always seen about hollow 

 logs, stumps or about the ground, we 

 could not connect them with the nests 

 referred to. And too the nests were 

 far more common than the insects. 



A thought which has come to me 

 in this connection is that this tube was 

 merely to prevent drafts of air from 

 reaching the young while the nest was 

 small and as the nest increased in size 

 and more folds were added about the 

 nest and the entrances were further 

 removed from the brood, this protec- 

 tion became unnecessary and was dis- 

 pensed with. 



On talking the matter over with 

 Mrs. Pleas, who is also a naturalist and 

 expert taxidermist, she says that when 

 she was a girl she saw a yellow hornet 

 working in such a nest about five 

 inches in diameter, near Richmond. 

 Indiana, the nest being attached to the 

 cross piece of a grape arbor. 



This was at a neighbor's place where 

 she was visiting and she never saw it 

 again. So it is possible I am mistaken 

 and those seen in /\rkansas were the 

 same kind. 



C. E. Pleas. 



To Preserve Hen's Eggs. 



BY N1AL MORROW LADD, GREENWICH, 

 CONNECTICUT. 



Take one quart of water glass (sili- 

 cate of soda) to fifteen quarts of boiled 

 water. Allow to cool before using. 

 Select clean eggs and immediately af- 

 ter gathering place the eggs in this 

 solution. Use large stone crocks with 

 covers that fit snugly and keep in cool 

 place. If eggs become uncovered 

 through evaporation some time after 

 jars are filled, add more solution. 

 Eggs will remain fresh to taste six or 

 more months after being put in the 

 water glass. 



Prick small hole in shell when boil- 

 ing, otherwise they will burst. 



Emphasis is laid upon using only 

 clean eggs. 



Our First Subscriber. 



In view of the recent improvements 

 inTiiE Guide; to XATUREand the plans 

 for further improvement in the future r 

 it may be of interest to our readers to 

 note the beginning of things. Our first 

 subscriber was W. I. Beecroft of 



The student of nature is never at a 

 loss to know what to do He can find 

 plenty of subjects for study and for en- 

 tertainment every day in the year. 

 And with every added year of observa- 

 tion this world becomes to him a more 

 beautiful and wonderful place. — Bessie 

 L. Putnam ; Conneaut Lake, Penn. 



MR. BEECROFT. 



Adams, Massachusetts. He sent us 

 payment for a year's subscription on 

 February 10, 1908. The first old Chap- 

 ter to renew and send its membership 

 dues was Chapter No. 475 of Valley 



