THE MINERS 299 



Many of the fossorial wasps are very 

 suspicious, and it requires patience to get 

 near enough to watch one at its work of 

 nectar-gathering. It cocks its head on 

 one side, glances at the intruder, and in a 

 flash is off. 



Sometimes, however, the large wasps 

 resent intrusion, as one once did on the 

 edge of a meadow. It was sitting on a 

 willow leaf and did not care 

 to be disturbed. Instead of 

 flying away it reared itself 

 up on its tail, opened its 

 jaws and apparently invited-^^?^ 

 its visitor to " touch me if ""^ 

 you dare." Its visitor did not dare, hav- 

 ing no net along; and probably nobody 

 would have enjoyed interfering with an 

 enormous black wasp that reared up on 

 end and looked as that one did. 



Wasps dig many holes, but finish few. 

 They seem to have very strict ideas as to 

 what a burrow should be, and often start 



