The Mason-Wasps 



succeed one another throughout the warm 

 weather. This vast mass of greenery is 

 the first stopping-place after the exodus 

 from the nest begins. Here the young 

 birds assemble and for hours chatter and 

 scream before flying off on their pilfering- 

 expeditions; here the well-filled squads take 

 their stand on returning from the fields. 

 The adults meet here to keep an eye on 

 their recently-emancipated offspring, to cau- 

 tion the imprudent and encourage the timid; 

 family-quarrels are fought out here and the 

 events of the day discussed. From morn- 

 ing till evening there is a continual going to 

 and fro between the roof and the plane- 

 trees. Well, in spite of these constant vis- 

 its, I have only once, in the past twelve 

 years, seen the Sparrow build his nest in the 

 branches. The couple that decided in 

 favour of a mid-air nest on one of the 

 plane-trees were not particularly satisfied, 

 it seems, with the results obtained, for they 

 did not repeat the experiment next year. 

 Since then, none has placed before my eyes 

 for the second time a big ball of a nest 

 swaying in the wind at the end of a branch. 

 The steadier and less costly shelter of the 

 tile is preferred. 



We now know enough about the early art 

 140 



