HABITS AND BIOLOGY OF THE COMMON WASP 329 



191 3. It contained 9 cell-flats, in 2 of which Mr Evans 

 counted the cells, thus obtaining a basis for the estimation 

 of the content of the other tiers. The result of his estima- 

 tion was as follows : — 



Cell-flat I contained 1000 cells approximately. 



Amongst the 9 cell-flats, therefore, were distributed no 

 fewer than 11,560 cells. Although the active increase of the 

 nest had no doubt ceased, many drones and queens were still 

 hatching. Mr Evans estimated that during the course of 

 the season this huge nest would have produced not less 

 than 25,000 wasps. 



General Observations. 



Before the inhabitants of the July nest examined by me 

 were destroyed, a few general observations were made. 



WorkiJig Hours. — It is popularly believed that for bees 

 and wasps the working day commences at dawn and ends at 

 dusk; but the records of Sir John Lubbock's experiments^ 

 tend rather to show that sunrise and sunset are the 

 controlling factors, probably on account of their influence 

 upon atmospheric temperature. Thus from Lubbock's 

 records one gathers that during the latter half of September 

 the first visits of wasps to a honey store, which they had 

 visited the day before, ranged from 6.16 to 6.55 a.m. On 

 one particularly fine morning a wasp was waiting at 6 A.M. 

 when the window was opened to admit it ; and on one 

 occasion a laggard paid her first visit at 7.25 A.M., having, one 

 suspects, tarried by the way. Now during these days (i8th to 

 23rd September) the sun rose between 5.40 and 5.50 A.M., 

 so that the visits succeeded sunrise at a short interval, 

 sufficient, perhaps, to have allowed the sun's rays to ameliorate 



' Lubbock, Atlfs, Bees, and Wasps, 1882, pp. 415-427. 



47 2 N 



