SOCIAL-WASPS. 



77 



protection, she suspends horizontally, and not like 

 the combs in a bee-hive, in a perpendicular position. 

 The suspension of which we speak is also light and 

 elegant, compared with the more heavy union of the 

 hive-bees' combs. It is in fact a hanging floor, 

 immoveably secured by rods of similar materials 

 with the roof, but rather stronger. From twelve to 

 thirty of these rods, about an inch or less in length, 

 and a quarter of an inch in diameter, are constructed 



A^ represents one of the rods from, which the terraces are s^is- 

 pended B, a portion, of the external crust. 



for the suspension of the terrace. They are elegant 

 in form, being made gradually narrower towards the 

 middle, and widening at each end, in order, no doubt, 

 to render their hold the stronger. 



The terrace itself is circular, and composed of an 

 immense number of cells, formed of the paper al- 

 ready described, and of almost the same size and 

 form as those of a honey-comb, each being a perfect 

 hexagon, mathematically exact, and every hair's 

 breadth of the space completely filled. These cells, 

 however, are never used as honey-pots by wasps, as 

 they are by bees; for wasps make no honey, and 

 the cells are wholly appropriated to the rearing of 

 their young. Like other hymenopterous insects, the 

 grubs are placed with their heads downwards; and 

 the openings of the cells are also downwards: while 



VOL. IV. 7* 



