158 WASPS AND THEIR WAYS 



them in any way. Perhaps he smelled of 

 deceit, and they were afraid to trust him 

 near their precious paper fabric. Romanes 

 tells of a man who used the wasps to 

 police his premises. This clever person 

 allowed a species of wasp native to Natal 

 to build in the door-posts of his house, 

 and although he often interfered with 

 their nests, he was stung but once, and 

 then by a young wasp. The value of 

 this arrangement is better appreciated 

 when one learns that the wasps allowed 

 no Caflfre to approach the door, much 

 less to pass through. 



It is generally easy to make friends with 

 the wasps if the nest is near at hand, and 

 if they are never frightened or tormented. 

 They do not sting for the sake of sting- 

 ing, but only in self-defence. There are a 

 number of cases on record of people hav- 

 ing allowed the hornets to build in their 

 houses, and suflfering no inconvenience in 

 consequence. 



