WASP PLAGUES 



IT is rarely that in any part of Scotland wasps 

 become numerous enough to constitute a plague. 

 They are not scarce by any means, but they do 

 not take possession of the countryside. In the 

 South of England, on the other hand, a wasp 

 plague is a frequent occurrence of the autumn, 

 and if one may judge from what is said in the 

 papers, such a plague is in full blast just now 

 (191 1). Once I made acquaintance with the wasp 

 in plague numbers. Entering a hostelry in a 

 western corner of Middlesex, I found every inmate 

 bearing large and visible traces of combat. There 

 were bandaged hands and bandaged faces. In 

 reply to the question, " Been to the wars? " the 

 lady of the establishment said that the " wasps 

 were terrible bad," and pointed to the window 

 and sundry saucers of beer arranged in conspicuous 

 places around the room. In the window wasps 

 were buzzing in dozens against the glass. In the 

 beer saucers they lay in scores dead or dead-drunk. 

 And all around others were freely indulging 

 " tasting," as they say in the Highlands till, 

 tasting too deeply, they tumbled in and died. For 

 the wasp is a bibulous creature, and likes liquid 

 bread and plenty of it. 



