WASPS AND ANTS. 501 



originally excavated by Termites, and afterwards enlarged by 

 the ' hornets,' as they are popularly called. 



"I have often seen these insects pounce on a sitting fly, just 

 as a hawk would do on a small bird ; and they are also very fond 

 of ripe fruit, such as peaches, grapes, and apples. The Vespa 

 velutina also indulges in these luxuries, and is especially fond 

 of the hill apricot. 



" The stings of four or five of these insects are said to be 

 sufficiently powerful to kill a child, but, as in all such cases, 

 much must depend on the circumstances. 



" The outside of the nests is, as is usual with wasps, covered 

 with a coating of loose paper. 



" It is highly dangerous to disturb a colony of these insects ; 

 and, as they work in gangs at night, it is somewhat hazardous 

 even then to take their nests. As, however, they greatly affect 

 outhouses, it is most necessary to destroy them, as horses have 

 been said to have been stung to death by them ; but for this I 

 cannot vouch. 



" I will here quote in extenso from my note-book, the notes 

 which refer to Indian 'hornets,' by which term both Vespa 

 cincta and Vespa Orientalis are designated. 



"'August 15, 1863. — These insects are very abundant at 

 Benares, but not generally spiteful. One may see hundreds of 

 them flying about the sweetmeat stalls, like wasps in the fruit- 

 shops in England ; and the vendor drives them away with a 

 whisk — a piece of palm-leaf in a cloth — and is very rarely 

 stung. If one, however, be incautiously touched, the sting is 

 very suddenly given and very sharp ; its pain is intense, and it 

 induces considerable inflammation. They make their nests in 

 the mud walls, and the form of these is just like that of the 

 English hornet. 



" ' Yesterday I was drying some sugar in the sun, and this 

 attracted a large number of them. My man killed many, throw- 

 ing down their bodies on the spot, when the ants appeared to 

 carry off the carcases; but not only did the ants so employ 

 themselves, for the hornets also alighted and carried off their 

 dead brethren as food. The ants (CEcophylla smaragdina) appear 

 to be naturally very destructive to these insects. These ants 

 live both in the ground and in nests made of leaves of trees 

 drawn together. 



