[ 311 ] 



THE WASP. 



THE wafp is winged; a fling in its tail; islongerin proportion than 

 the bee j marked with bright yellow circles round its body ; Twift 

 ^nd aftive. On each fide the mouth this animal has a long tooth, notch- 

 ed like a faw; with thefe it cuts. Wafps live in community, fometimes 

 ten or twelve thoufand together; fierce, voracious, and dangerous, when 

 enraged. Wherever flefh is cutting up, they gorge thernfelves with the 

 fpoil, and fly to their nefts with their reeking prey. They make .war on 

 every other fly, and the fpidcr himfelf dreads their approaches. 



Wafps have fimilar occupations to bees for propagation, for nurfing 

 ■and fupporting the rifing progeny. Among bees is one queen, or two 

 in a hive J among wafps two or three hundred. Wafps are very numerous 

 in fummer, employed in gathering provifions for their nefl:, if made, or 

 in making one. The nefl: is contrived very artificially. Their principal 

 care is to feek a hole, begun by fome animal, a field moufe, a rat, or a 

 mole. They fometimes build on the plain, where dry, but commonly on 

 the fide of a bank to avoid water. Their firfl: labour is to enlarge the 

 hole, carrying off the earth. They are furniflied with a trunk above 

 their mouths, two faws on each fide, which play to the right and left 

 againfl: each other, and fix fl:rong mufcular legs. They cut the earth 

 with their faws, and carry it out with their legs. The outline of their 

 habitation makes a cavity of about a foot and a half every way. While 

 fome are working, others are roving the fields to feek materials. To 

 prevent the earth from falling down, they make a fort of loof with their 

 glewy fubftance, to which they fix the rudiments of their building, work- 

 ing from, the top downward?, as if hanging a bell, which they clofe at 

 bottom. They build their nefts of wood and glew. Thefe they faw, an4 

 divide the wood into fmall fibres, of which they take up little bundles in 

 their claws, letting fall on them a few drops of glewy matter with which 

 their bodies are provided,by which they knead the wholeinto apafte. This 

 they tread clofe with their feet, and trowel with their trunks, going back- 

 wards as they work. Having repeated this operation three or four.tinrlls, 

 the compofition is flatted out into a fmall grey leaf, much finer than pa- 

 per, and pretty firm ; with this, placing layer upon layer, they ftrengthcn 

 every partition. They make another entrance to their habitation, either 

 for letting in the warmth of the fun, or for cfcape. By one of thefe they 



Part VI. No. 31. 3 G alwayi 



