﻿Habits 
  of 
  Vm-ious 
  Insects. 
  115 
  

  

  but 
  the 
  wasp 
  mended 
  it 
  again 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time. 
  Another 
  time, 
  I 
  

   took 
  away 
  six 
  caterpillars, 
  and 
  put 
  them 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  

   cell 
  ; 
  the 
  wasp 
  found 
  them, 
  and 
  put 
  them 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  cell. 
  

   Again, 
  I 
  took 
  away 
  the 
  egg 
  of 
  the 
  wasp, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  cell 
  was 
  

   finished 
  I 
  opened 
  it, 
  and 
  found 
  another 
  egg 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  

   which 
  I 
  had 
  taken 
  away. 
  When 
  the 
  wasp 
  brought 
  a 
  caterpillar 
  to 
  

   its 
  cell, 
  it 
  held 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  under 
  its 
  belly, 
  carrying 
  one 
  

   end 
  between 
  its 
  jaws. 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  appeared 
  dead, 
  and 
  were 
  

   packed 
  very 
  close 
  in 
  the 
  cell. 
  The 
  wasp 
  slept 
  in 
  the 
  cell 
  at 
  

   night, 
  with 
  its 
  head 
  out, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  cell 
  was 
  nearly 
  full, 
  it 
  

   remained 
  with 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  its 
  body 
  out. 
  I 
  touched 
  it 
  several 
  

   times, 
  but 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  quit 
  the 
  cell. 
  I 
  then 
  put 
  an 
  ant 
  to 
  it, 
  

   which 
  it 
  crushed 
  with 
  its 
  jaws. 
  It 
  made 
  six 
  cells 
  in 
  a 
  week, 
  and 
  

   made 
  mortar 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  the 
  whole 
  time, 
  and 
  continued 
  to 
  get 
  

   water 
  in 
  another 
  place 
  ; 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  making 
  mortar 
  the 
  ants 
  

   disturbed 
  it 
  several 
  times, 
  which 
  made 
  it 
  fly 
  up 
  sometimes 
  ; 
  at 
  

   other 
  times 
  it 
  would 
  move 
  a 
  little, 
  but 
  it 
  refused 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  spot. 
  

   I 
  have 
  never 
  found 
  these 
  wasps 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  a 
  solid 
  brick 
  or 
  

   stone, 
  but 
  when 
  they 
  find 
  a 
  cavity 
  with 
  loose 
  rubbish 
  in 
  it, 
  they 
  

   will 
  clean 
  it 
  out. 
  These 
  wasps 
  are 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  common 
  

   social 
  wasps, 
  and 
  are 
  known 
  by 
  having 
  a 
  large 
  black 
  ring 
  round 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen. 
  They 
  build 
  cells 
  in 
  the 
  cavities 
  of 
  

   walls. 
  

  

  Wasj)s 
  killing 
  Flies. 
  — 
  The 
  common 
  wasps 
  catch 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  

   of 
  flies 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  time 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  find 
  a 
  spot 
  well 
  

   stocked 
  with 
  these 
  insects 
  they 
  will 
  go 
  there 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  times, 
  

   until 
  it 
  is 
  exhausted. 
  When 
  a 
  wasp 
  catches 
  a 
  fly, 
  it 
  first 
  cuts 
  off 
  

   its 
  legs 
  and 
  wings 
  ; 
  then 
  bruises 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  mortar, 
  and 
  carries 
  it 
  

   away 
  to 
  the 
  nest. 
  Having 
  caught 
  a 
  fly, 
  I 
  put 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  string 
  

   round 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  offered 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  wasp, 
  which 
  took 
  hold 
  

   of 
  it, 
  and 
  cut 
  off" 
  its 
  wings 
  and 
  legs, 
  as 
  usual 
  ; 
  then 
  it 
  took 
  hold 
  

   of 
  it 
  to 
  carry 
  it 
  away, 
  but 
  finding 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  move 
  it 
  away, 
  it 
  

   pulled 
  first 
  one 
  way, 
  then 
  the 
  other 
  ; 
  at 
  last, 
  it 
  found 
  out 
  the 
  

   string, 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  fine, 
  and 
  cut 
  it 
  off* 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  fly, 
  which 
  

   it 
  then 
  carried 
  away. 
  

  

  Honey 
  Bees. 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  honey 
  bees 
  gather 
  

   honey 
  from 
  some 
  flowers 
  whilst 
  they 
  never 
  touch 
  others. 
  They 
  

   are 
  very 
  fond 
  of 
  the 
  mignionette, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  

   humble 
  bees 
  touch 
  it. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  wild 
  bees 
  

   upon 
  the 
  snapdragon, 
  the 
  fox-glove, 
  the 
  everlasting 
  peas, 
  and 
  the 
  

   nasturtium, 
  which 
  the 
  hive 
  bees 
  never 
  touch. 
  Both 
  the 
  hive 
  bees 
  

   and 
  the 
  wild 
  bees 
  are 
  very 
  partial 
  to 
  the 
  Canterbury 
  bells, 
  from 
  

   the 
  cups 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  gather 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  pollen 
  and 
  honey. 
  

   I 
  2 
  

  

  