THE WASP. 119 



among wasps there are above two or three hun- 

 dred. 



As soon as the summer begins to invigorate the 

 insect tribes, the wasps are the most of the num- 

 ber, and diligently employed either in providing 

 provisions for their nest, if already made, or in 

 making one if the former habitation be too small 

 to receive the increasing community. The nest 

 is one of the most curious objects in natural his- 

 tory, and contrived almost as artificially as that of 

 the bees themselves. Their principal care is to 

 seek out a hole that has been begun by some 

 other animal, a field mouse, a rat, or a mole, to 

 build their nests in. They sometimes build upon 

 the plain, where they are sure of the dryness of 

 their situation, but most commonly on the side of 

 a bank, to avoid the rain or water that would other- 

 wise annoy them. When they have chosen a pro- 

 per place, they go to work with wonderful assidu- 

 ity. Their first labour is to enlarge and widen the 

 hole, taking away the earth and carrying it off to 

 some distance. They are perfectly formed for 

 labour, being furnished with a trunk above their 

 mouths, two saws on each side, which play to the 

 right and left against each other, and six strong 

 muscular legs to support them. They cut the 

 earth into small parcels with their saws, and carry 

 it out with their legs or paws. This is the work 

 of some days ; and at length the outline of their 

 habitation is formed, making a cavity of about a 

 foot and a half every way. While some are work- 

 ing in this manner, others are roving the fields to 

 seek out materials for their building. To prevent 



