Aberrations of Instinct 



plastering her house, whereas she is merely 

 plastering its uncovered support. The new 

 colour of the site and its flat surface, re- 

 placing the prominence of the vanished clod, 

 fail to apprise her that the nest is gone. 



Can this be a temporary distraction, a 

 blunder due to the Wasp's excessive eager- 

 ness for work? She will change her mind, 

 no doubt, perceive her mistake and discon- 

 tinue her futile labours. But no: I see her 

 coming back thirty times in succession. At 

 each trip she brings a globule of mud, which 

 she applies, without making a single error, 

 inside the circumference formed by the line 

 of clay which the base of the nest has left 

 on the wall. Her memory, which tells her 

 nothing of the colour, shape or prominence 

 of the nest, is surprisingly faithful in mat- 

 ters of topographical detail: it knows no- 

 thing of essentials but is thoroughly ac- 

 quainted with accessories; topographically 

 speaking, the nest is there; the structure, it 

 is true, is missing, but there is the support- 

 ing base; and that, it appears, is enough; 

 at any rate, the Pelopaeus is lavish of her 

 exertions in bringing mud to plaster the 

 surface on which the structure no longer 

 stands. 



In the old days, the Mason-bees used to 

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