WASPS. 19V) 



feed the larvie with Benger's food. A thread was 

 dipped into the liquid, and then held near the mouth 

 of the larva, and it took the food eagerly. After 

 that, each larva flourished on three meals a day of 

 Benger's food. They put their heads up eagerly 

 as soon as they felt the touch of the thread or of 

 a straw from a millet broom, which was used later. 

 When doing this, they looked like little hungry 

 birds stretching their necks right out of the cells. 



We will give a detailed description of one of these 

 larvae, which was found in the nest. After taking 

 food for about a week, we noticed it was very rest- 

 less, stretching itself out of the cell, and when food 

 was applied to its mouth, it rejected it. 



Once after a few convulsive movements, it turned 

 its head right under its body, and remained in that 

 position for two minutes. After this rest, it 

 stretched itself agan, and began to move its head all 

 around the edge of the cell with a tapping move- 

 ment. We then saw it was building up its pupal 

 chamber. Its head was moving from side to side, 

 and as it built up the sides of its cell, it turned 

 gradually and completely around it. When the 

 wall was finished, the length of the cell had been 

 increased to i of an inch. 



It now turned its attention to the building of the 

 cap or roof of its pupal chamber, and it began to 

 work a little below the top edge of the cell, working- 

 upwards in a circle till the inner roof was com- 

 pleted. The operation of wall building had com- 

 menced at 9.30 p.m., and finished at 11 p.m., and 

 the roof was complete at 12.45 ^''^- 



