i86 SOLITARY BEES AND WASPS. 



would settle on his face and hands, and never 

 think of stinging their friend. 



I remember once in a country village seeing 

 a man hard at work thrashing corn in a barn, and 

 quite near to him there was an immense hornet's 

 nest hanging from a beam. We asked if he was 

 not afraid of them, but he smiled and said, "Oh, 

 they know me well enough ; one of 'em fell inside 

 my shirt t'other day, but he was very ceevil and 

 never stung me, for I never interferes wi' them, so 

 they don't interfere wi' me." 



Many years ago a curious thing happened in a 

 friend's house in Surrey. In a spare bedroom 

 which was not often used, there was a small Pem- 

 broke table with two flaps which could be put up 

 or down. The maid had to get the room ready for 

 a visitor, and in dusting the table she lifted up one 

 of the flaps when down fell a quantity of dry earth 

 all full of whitish grubs and chrysalids, and a few 

 young wasps were also crawling about. It was 

 found on examination that a solitary wasp had 

 gained some mode of access to the room, and had 

 made her family nest under the flap of the table, 

 and unless it had been thus happily discovered the 



