314 COURAGE OF WASPS. 



three octaves, with a shrill whistle, a pipe, a violin, and 

 my own voice, making in each case the loudest and 

 shrillest sounds in my power, I could see no symptoms 

 in any case that they were conscious of the noise. 



The following fact struck me as rather remarkable. 

 One of my wasps smeared her wings with syrup, so that 

 she could not fly. ^^^len this happened to a bee, it was 

 only necessary to carry her to the alighting-board, when 

 she was soon cleaned by her comrades. But I did not 

 know where this wasp's nest was, and therefore could 

 not pursue a similar course with her. At first, then, 

 I was afraid that she was doomed. I thought, however, 

 that I would wash her, fully expecting, indeed, to terrify 

 her so much that she would not return again. I there- 

 fore caught her, put her in a bottle half full of water, 

 and shook her up well till the honey was washed off. I 

 then transferred her to another bottle, and put her in 

 the sun to dry. When she appeared to have recovered 

 I let her out: she at once flew to her nest, and 

 I never expected to see her again. To my surprise, in 

 thirteen minutes the brave little insect returned as if 

 nothing had happened, and continued her visits to the 

 honey all the afternoon. 



This experiment interested me so much that I re- 

 peated it with another marked wasp, this time, how- 

 ever, keeping the wasp in the water till she was quite 

 motionless and insensible. "WTien taken out of the 

 water she soon recovered ; I fed her ; she went quietly 

 away to her nest as usual, and returned after the usual 



