﻿114 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  Varney 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  very 
  probable 
  that, 
  alone 
  and 
  unattended, 
  the 
  female 
  lays 
  the 
  

   foundation 
  of 
  the 
  future 
  little 
  village. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  

   tuft 
  of 
  moss." 
  On 
  a 
  sloping 
  bank, 
  near 
  Hanwell 
  Asylum, 
  among 
  

   the 
  shrubs, 
  I 
  found 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  curious 
  little 
  nests 
  ; 
  it 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  a 
  small 
  lump 
  of 
  moss, 
  one 
  large 
  bee, 
  one 
  cup 
  filled 
  with 
  honey, 
  

   and 
  six 
  small 
  larvae 
  of 
  tlie 
  bee 
  feeding 
  upon 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  pollen, 
  of 
  a 
  

   darkish 
  brown 
  colour. 
  I 
  found 
  another 
  nest 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  bank, 
  

   about 
  ten 
  yards 
  distant, 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  first 
  — 
  as 
  

   large 
  as 
  a 
  hen's 
  egg; 
  it 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  lump 
  of 
  moss, 
  one 
  large 
  

   bee, 
  one 
  cup 
  filled 
  with 
  honey, 
  and 
  six 
  larvcC 
  feeding 
  upon 
  a 
  mass 
  

   of 
  bee 
  bread; 
  and 
  six 
  cocoons, 
  spun 
  by 
  the 
  full-grown 
  grubs 
  of 
  

   the 
  bee. 
  Each 
  nest 
  was 
  founded 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  bee, 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  

   the 
  class. 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  small 
  ones 
  are 
  not 
  females, 
  but 
  workers 
  

   only. 
  

  

  Wasp-nests. 
  — 
  Reaumur 
  says 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  material 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   common 
  wasp's 
  nest 
  is 
  constructed 
  is 
  vegetable 
  fibre. 
  As 
  the 
  first 
  

   step 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  paper-making 
  is 
  to 
  soak 
  the 
  vegetable 
  fibre 
  

   in 
  water, 
  so 
  the 
  wasp 
  takes 
  as 
  special 
  care 
  to 
  select 
  the 
  filaments 
  

   which 
  it 
  intends 
  to 
  use 
  from 
  wet 
  wood, 
  which 
  has 
  rotted 
  in 
  the 
  

   rain." 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1850, 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  common 
  

   wasps 
  gathering 
  wood 
  from 
  a 
  post 
  which 
  was 
  quite 
  dry 
  ; 
  each 
  

   load 
  which 
  the 
  wasp 
  carried 
  away 
  was 
  quite 
  wet. 
  This 
  lasted 
  

   many 
  days 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  stood 
  near, 
  and 
  paid 
  attention, 
  I 
  could 
  see 
  

   how 
  they 
  acted. 
  The 
  wasp 
  ran 
  about 
  the 
  post 
  a 
  little, 
  and 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  it 
  found 
  a 
  place 
  suitable, 
  it 
  wetted 
  the 
  wood, 
  then 
  scraped 
  

   a 
  little 
  bit 
  together, 
  and 
  put 
  it 
  between 
  its 
  fore 
  legs, 
  then 
  it 
  

   scraped 
  another 
  bit 
  and 
  put 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  first, 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  went 
  on, 
  until 
  

   it 
  had 
  got 
  a 
  load; 
  it 
  then 
  worked 
  it 
  all 
  together 
  into 
  a 
  ball, 
  took 
  

   it 
  between 
  its 
  mandibles, 
  and 
  flew 
  away 
  to 
  its 
  nest. 
  I 
  could 
  see 
  

   the 
  wet 
  upon 
  the 
  wood 
  when 
  the 
  wasp 
  had 
  gone 
  away. 
  The 
  wasp 
  

   scrapes 
  the 
  wood 
  very 
  fine, 
  which 
  would 
  all 
  fly 
  away 
  in 
  dry 
  

   weather, 
  if 
  no 
  fluid 
  was 
  used. 
  The 
  wasp, 
  by 
  wetting 
  the 
  wood, 
  

   can 
  gather 
  a 
  load 
  with 
  little 
  trouble, 
  and 
  with 
  no 
  loss 
  of 
  labour. 
  

  

  Mason 
  Wosjis. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  brick 
  wall, 
  at 
  Hanwell, 
  

   I 
  found 
  a 
  mason 
  wasp 
  at 
  work, 
  building 
  a 
  cell 
  with 
  mortar, 
  which 
  

   it 
  finished 
  in 
  about 
  an 
  hour. 
  It 
  went 
  seven 
  times 
  to 
  some 
  water, 
  

   which 
  was 
  about 
  twenty 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  wall 
  ; 
  with 
  each 
  supply 
  

   of 
  water 
  it 
  made 
  two 
  loads 
  of 
  mortar, 
  very 
  near 
  the 
  wall 
  ; 
  when 
  

   the 
  cell 
  was 
  finished, 
  the 
  wasp 
  laid 
  an 
  egg, 
  and 
  filled 
  the 
  cell 
  with 
  

   living 
  food. 
  I 
  then 
  opened 
  the 
  cell, 
  which 
  contained 
  eighteen 
  

   larva? 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  size, 
  but 
  each 
  one 
  had 
  

   sixteen 
  legs. 
  I 
  put 
  them 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  cell, 
  and 
  closed 
  them 
  up. 
  

   Another 
  time, 
  I 
  broke 
  down 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  cell 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  finished. 
  

  

  