24 



The foundress of a colony of wasps is constantly moving 

 about in search of empty cells wherein to deposit her eggs; and 

 so intent is she upon the performance of this duty, that scarcely 

 any amount of disturbance will cause her to desist, or divert her 

 attention from the one single object to the accomplishment of 

 which all her powers are directed, and every moment of the 

 remaining portion of her life is devoted. liong before the walls 

 of a fresh cell are completed, indeed almost as soon as the base is 

 formed, an egg will be deposited therein; and no sooner has a 

 previously-tenanted cell become vacant, than it is at once made 

 the receptacle for a fresh egg. When the larvje become full 

 grown, they spin a covering of immaculate whiteness over the 

 mouth of the cell; in about an hour after commencing to spin 

 they succeed in enclosing themselves, but several hours more are 

 employed in thickening the covering. In due time they assume 

 the winged state; when they gnaw their way out through the 

 covering, swallowing the pieces as they proceed, and which no 

 doubt they afterwards turn to some account in their economy. 



One singular feature in the character of these insects de- 

 serves a passing notice. A piece of raw meat having been placed 

 near a nest, which had been dug out and placed in a room (an 

 aperture being made to allow of the egress and ingress of the 

 wasps) the meat was presently surrounded by carvers, each of 

 whom carried off a piece; but, instead of going straight to 

 the nest with it, as they might have done, the passage being 

 easy, and, moreover, the one by which they had come, they 

 thought proper to pass through the casement, which chanced to 

 be left open, make an entire circuit of the garden, and then 

 return through the aperture by which they commonly entered 

 and went out. As every individual was observed to act in this 

 extraordinary manner, they must have had some common object 

 in view or cause for doing it. What the cause of this proceeding 

 was I am unable to say, but it would almost seem as if they 

 were seeking to obtain credit for a greater amount of diligence 

 than they were really entitled to. 



Another remarkable feature is presented by the fact that 

 wasps, which have been born and bred in one nest, sometimes 

 desert and join another. Mr. Stephen Stone thus describes the 

 manner in which thjs fact was first brought to his knowledge. 



