372 



THE INSECT WORLD. 



revive, and begin alone the construction of a new nest. They then 

 lay workers' eggs, which are not long in furnishing them a whole 

 regiment of devoted and active assistants. These traits are pretty 

 nearly the same for the different species of wasps, the only difference 

 being in the way in which they build their nests. 



Fig. 350. Exterior of a Wasp's Nest on a branch of a 



We have already said that the -common wasp makes its nest in the 

 ground. A gallery, of about an inch and a half in diameter, leads to 

 the nest, situated at a depth which varies from six inches to two feet. 

 " It is," says Rdaumur, " a small subterranean town, which is not 

 built in the style of ours, but which has a symmetry of its own. The 

 streets and the dwelling-places are regularly distributed. It is even 



