STARTING THE NEST 



101 



swift hornets owing their origin to the 

 body of a war-horse. 



There was also a superstition among the 

 Egyptians that wasps were generated from 

 the decaying carcass of a crocodile. 



However, a later generation discovered 

 that wasps proceed from eggs laid in the 

 cells of the nest by the queen wasp. 



The egg is generally placed in an inner 

 angle of the cell, and is attached by one 

 end. 



Her first three cells completed, Vespa 

 starts another row of cells around them, 

 depositing an egg in each as soon as it is 

 ready. 



She evidently does not consider these 

 exposed cells a safe resting-place 

 for her progeny, for no sooner has 

 she formed a little group of nine 

 or a dozen cells than she proceeds 

 to make a paper wall about them. 



The result of her labours is a 

 pretty little grey ball, with a hole 



