444 TENANTS OF AN OLD FARM. 



which, 1 have been told, they soon make a thorough 

 riddance of the annoying insects." 



This touched upon Sarah's department, and she ex- 

 pressed her interest by saying : " I kin voucli fer part 

 of tliem facts, anyway. Tlic hornet's do ketcli flies, 

 I'll say that much for the pesky critters. I've often 

 seen 'em pitch tlu'ougli tlie kitclien winders like mad, 

 bounce upon the tiies and clear away with them. But 

 lawsamassy, ther liaint no one goin' to get out a patent 

 on that kind uv a fly trap ! Fer who'd want sech a 

 reglar hostyle sallyport es that around, I'd like to 

 know ? I reckon the remedy 'd be wuss 'n the cure." 



" I can't speak from observation," I responded, "but 

 I have been told that the experiment brought no incon- 

 venince ; tliat as long as the hornets were not meddled 

 with, they molested no one. This much I can sa}', 

 that in my numerous field excursions, I have never 

 been meddled with by the stinging insects except when 

 I gave them some provoking cause. However, I have 

 no zeal to prove the usefulness of the hornet or press 

 it into duty as a servant of man. But we wander from 

 the point which I started to explain concerning the 

 food of wasps. It is an open question with entomolo- 

 logists whether all the insect food thus captured is used 

 for the nurture of the larvse, or whether it is partly 

 appropriated to the creatures' own use. I do not ven- 

 ture an opinion on the subject." 



" They do say," remarked Hugh, returning to the 

 point of usefulness, " that the smoke of a burned hor- 

 net's nest is useful. I've hcerd horsemen .say that it 's 



