ON ENTOMOLOGY. 29 



glue, she now forms into a leaf, walking backwards and spreading it out 

 with her mandibles, her tongue and her feet, till it is as thin almost as 

 tissue paper. One sheet, however, of such paper as this would form but 

 a fragile ceiling, quite insufficient to prevent the earth from falling down 

 into the nest. The Wasp, accordingly, is not satisfied with her work till 

 she has spread fifteen or sixteen layers one above the other, rendering 

 the wall altogether near two inches thick. The several layers are not 

 placed in contact like the layers of a piece of pasteboard, but with small 

 intervals or open spaces between, appearing somewhat like a grotto built 

 with bivalve shells, particularly when looked at on the outside. This 

 is probably caused by the insect working in a curvilineal manner. 

 Having first finished the ceiling, she next begins to build the first ter- 

 race of her city, which under its protection she suspends horizontally, 

 and not like the combs in a Bee-hive, in a perpendicular position. The 

 suspension of which we speak, is also light and elegant, compared with 

 the more heavy union of the Hive-bees combs. It is in fact a hanging- 

 floor, immoveably secured by rods of similar materials with the roof, but 

 rather stronger. From twelve to thirty of these rods, about an inch or 

 less in length, and a quarter of an inch or less in width, and a quarter 

 of an inch in diameter, are constructed for the suspension of the terrace. 

 They are elegant in form, being made gradually narrower towards the 

 middle and widening at each end, in order, no doubt, to render their 

 hold the stronger. The terrace itself is circular and composed of an 

 immense number of cells formed of the paper already described, and of 

 almost the same size and form as those of a honey-comb; each being a 

 perfect hexagon, mathematically exact, and every hair's breadth of the 

 space completely filled. These cells, however, are never used as honey 

 pots by Wasps, as they are by Bees; for Wasps make no honey, and the 

 cells are wholly appropriated to the rearing of their young. Like other 

 Hymenoplerous insects, the Grubs are placed with their head downwards, 

 and the opening of the cells are also downwards, while their united 

 bottoms form a nearly uniform level upon which the inhabitants of the 

 nest may walk. 



We have seen, says Rennie, when a young Bee had escaped from 

 its cradle cell, and so rendered it empty, that cell was subsequently ap- 

 propriated to the storing of honey. But in the case of Wasps, a cell thus 

 evacuated is immediately cleaned out and repaired for the reception of 

 another Grub, an egg being laid in it by a Female Wasp, as soon as it is 

 ready. When the Foundress Wasp has completed a certain number of 

 cells and deposited eggs in them, she soon intermits her building opera- 

 tions, in order to procure food for the young Grubs, which now require 

 all her care. In a few weeks these become perfect Wasps, 'and lend 

 their assistance in the exterior of the edifice, enlarging the original 

 coping of the foundress by side walls, and forming another platform of 

 cells, suspended to the first by columns, as that had been suspended to 

 the cieling. lu this manner several platform of combs are constructed, 



