The Pelopaeus 



dim chamber with a solitary window sport- 

 ing a sprig of wall-flower in an old, cracked 

 stew-pot. Felicities like that are reserved 

 for the humble; and I am therefore reduced 

 to what I have gained by an occasional piece 

 of good luck, irrespective of any efforts of 

 mine. The little that I have seen, in one 

 direction and another, is after all sufficient 

 evidence of the pluck of the Pelopaeus, who, 

 to reach her nest built in a corner of the 

 hearth, at times passes through a cloud of 

 steam and smoke. Would she dare to 

 cross a thin sheet of flame? That was 

 what I had proposed to see, if my attempts 

 to acclimatize her in my home had met with 

 any success. 



It is obvious that, in displaying a marked 

 predilection for the chimney as her abode, 

 the Pelopaeus is not seeking her own com- 

 fort: the site chosen means work and 

 dangerous work. She seeks the welfare of 

 her family. This family then, in order to 

 prosper, must require a high temperature, 

 such as is not demanded by the other Wasps 

 or Bees, the Chalicodoma and the Osmia, 

 for instance, who find sufficient shelter 

 under a mortar dome or in the hollow of an 

 exposed reed. Let us see what tempera- 

 ture the Pelopaeus finds to her liking. 

 69 



