170 THE RING OF NATURE 



cells. The cells are not built of thick dollops 

 of wax mixed with pollen and honey, but of 

 exquisitely thin paper which the reader may see 

 the wasps preparing on any exposed plank of 

 wood that has not been recently painted. The 

 whole nest, instead of being dumped down inside 

 a heap of moss, is anchored to the roof of a cave 

 excavated to fit it, and surrounded with walls of 

 wood-paper with air spaces between. Thus it is 

 kept dry in the wettest weather and of an equable 

 temperature, wood and air-space having been 

 proved to be one of the most non-conductive of 

 materials. 



We do not attack the myrmidon city of the wasp 

 so nonchalantly as the poor village of the humble- 

 bee. It is necessary to prepare for our visit by 

 placing within the doorway a grain of cyanide of 

 potassium, the fumes of which will kill in a few 

 hours every wasp that goes in, comes out, or stays 

 within. Then we can quietly dig up the nest with 

 careful spade and trowel and inspect it as the 

 wasps built it. Perhaps the chief surprise is to 

 find that the cells hang mouth downwards, and 

 the grubs have to maintain themselves in position 

 by the friction of their fat sides against the walls 

 and a sucker upon their tails. There are plenty 

 of other marvels that are best found with the 

 eyes. 



I think that, on the whole, paper must be in 

 terms of labour a cheaper building material than 

 wax. Some say that the bee requires to consume 



