HABITATIONS OF INSECTS. 501 



thus the balls are conveyed to the foot of the nest, and 

 from thence elevated to the sunnnit, much in the same 

 way that a file of labourers transfer a parcel of cheeses 

 from a vessel or cart to a warehouse ^, It is easy to per- 

 ceive that a vast saving of time must ensue from this 

 well contrived division of labour ; the structure rising 

 much more rapidly than if every individual had been 

 employed first in carding his materials, and then in 

 transferring them to the spot. 



Wasps, though ferocious and cruel towards their fel- 

 low-insects, are civilized and polished in their inter- 

 course with each other, and form a community whose 

 architectural labours will not suffer on comparison even 

 with those of the peaceful inhabitants of a bee-hive. 

 Like these, the great object of their industry is the erec- 

 tion of a structure for their beloved progeny, towards 

 which they discover the greatest tenderness and affec- 

 tion, and they even in like manner construct combs con- 

 sisting of hexagonal cells for their reception ; but the 

 substance which they make use of is very dissimilar to 

 the wax employed by bees, and the general plan of their 

 city differs in many respects from that of a bee-hive. 



The common wasp's nest, usually situated in a cavity 

 under ground, is of an oval figure about sixteen or 

 eighteen inches long by twelve or thirteen broad. Ex- 

 ternally it is surrounded by a thick coating of numerous 

 leaves of a sort of grayish paper, which do not touch 

 each other, but have a small interval betweefi each, so 

 that if the rain should chance to penetrate one or two of 

 them, its progress is speedily arrested. On removing 

 ^ Rcaum. vi. 7-10. 



