THE WASP. 117 



leaves of a roundish form, and with them line the 

 inside of their habitations. This tapestry is still 

 further lined by a reddish kind of paste, some- 

 what sweet or acid. These bees are of various 

 kinds ; those that build their nests with chesnut 

 leaves are as big as drones, but those of the rose 

 tree are smaller than the common bee. 



The Wall-Bees are so called because they mak 

 their nest in walls, of a kind of silky membrane 

 with which they fill up the vacuities between the 

 small stones which form the sides of their habita- 

 tion. Their apartment consists of several cells, 

 placed end to end, each in the shape of a woman's 

 thimble. Though the web which lines this habi- 

 tation is thick and warm, yet it is transparent and 

 of a whitish colour. This substance is supposed 

 to be spun from the animal's body. The males 

 and females are of a size, but the former are with- 

 out a sting. To these varieties of the bee kind 

 might be added several others, which are all dif- 

 ferent in nature, but not sufficiently distinguished 

 to excite curiosity. 



CHAPTER III. 



OF THE WASP. 



HOWEVER similar many insects may be in appear- 

 ance, this does not imply a similitude in their 

 history. The bee and the wasp resemble each 



