130 FRESH WOODS. 



Certain it is that hornets are the most 

 magnanimous of insects, or else the most 

 cowardly. 



Mr. Srnee ("My Garden") says: "Dr. 

 Ormerod mentions the case of a country- 

 woman who patronized hornets because they 

 rid her rooms of flies whilst she was confined 

 to bed." 



We all looked upon this proposed attack 

 of ours as a very serious business indeed ; the 

 female portion of our community entreated 

 us to let the wicked things alone, and not go 

 near them. Nothing but the risk the children 

 ran in the garden would have induced them 

 to consent to the risk to our precious selves 

 down in the corner of the meadow. 



We provided ourselves with some coarse 

 rock powder ; this we moistened with saliva 

 and formed into a cake the size of a hen's 

 egg ; a wooden skewer was stuck into the 

 thick end of it, the other end was dusted 

 over with dry powder, and our torpedo was 

 complete. 



On the previous night I had watched the 

 premises till a quarter past eight, which was 

 as late as I could see ; but still they were 

 hard at work going and coming, and I won- 

 dered if they meant to work all night. 



We decided, however, to commence the 



