154 Dr. A. G. B^er on Insects and their Enemies. 
and others. In the case of Dryonastes (Jay-Thrushes) the 
wasp is seized and its tail rubbed backwards and forwards 
between the tail-feathers of the bird, in order either to 
break the sting or exhaust its venom, before it is eaten. 
That many small birds are not afraid of wasps is 
evidenced by the fact that they build their own nests 
close to those of these much-shunned insects because of 
the protection thus afforded against predacious mammals. 
Insectivorous birds as a rule do not touch wasps because 
they object to the sting, and doubtless the intelligent 
little insects are well aware of the fact and therefore do 
not object to them as neighbours: possibly an occasional 
dead youngster tossed out of the nest may afford a wel¬ 
come feast for the wasps. 
Neither birds nor insects are credited generally with so 
much reasoning power as they undoubtedly possess, though 
the fact that they do reason is beginning to dawn upon 
men’s minds. 
