54 WASPS AND THEIRWAYS 



may visit them also, though they by no 

 means confine their attention to such. 



They may not be quite as dainty as 

 the bees in their choice of food, but it is 

 a libel to accuse them of preferring ill- 

 smelling blossoms if they can find sweet 

 ones. 



They are very fond of honey, syrup, and 

 all sweets, and eagerly suck the sap from 

 bleeding trees in the spring of the year. 



Like the bees they have a weakness for 

 fermented drinks, and they are immoral 

 enough to abandon themselves to what- 

 ever satisfaction comes from intoxication, 

 eagerly drinking sweet wine, or sugar and 

 water containing alcoholic liquor. If their 

 drink is but sweet enough they joyfully 

 imbibe until they are quite drunk. They 

 frequent nature's wine-shops too, drinking 

 the juices of fermented fruits, and after an 

 orgy under a tree whose over-ripe fruit 

 strews the ground, they may be seen lying 

 around in a state of helpless drunkenness. 



