THE MINERS 263 



rightful owner. That wasps carefully 

 examine the location of their nests, and 

 remember the details of their surroundings, 

 no one can doubt who has watched them 

 at their labours. They do not leave a new 

 nest until they have located it, sometimes 

 flying back several times to take 

 a final look before going away. 

 Once, while a wasp was gone from 

 its newly excavated nest to look for 

 prey, a human observer, who had been 

 prying with great interest into the private 

 afi'airs of wasp life, broke off a large leaf 

 that partly concealed the nest, in order 

 to see it better. When Madam wasp 

 returned she was so much puzzled at the 

 altered appearance of her dooryard that 

 she could not find her hole, but flew back 

 and forth in its vicinity, examining the 

 surrounding objects in a state of evident 

 excitement, until the leaf was laid back in 

 its old position, when she at once ran to 

 her nest. 



