H4 IN THE GUIANA FOREST. 



direction, allow the moisture to penetrate, and in 

 a comparatively short time the hard wood, which 

 rings almost like metal to the blows of the axe, 

 crunches under foot as if it were made up of egg- 

 shells. As long as a tree is healthy the termite 

 leaves it alone, but as soon as a branch is injured 

 a nest is sure to be planted in the fork and its 

 work begins. As there are always plenty of the 

 dead and dying in the forest, these little creatures 

 may be seen everywhere, plainly indicating by 

 their presence that another poor victim has suc- 

 cumbed in the struggle. 



Wasps and bees are also very numerous, the 

 former hanging their round or pear-shaped nests 

 from the branches of trees, or even building a 

 single layer of cells on the backs of leaves. They 

 are called marabuntas in the colony, and are much 

 feared for their virulent stings. Unlike the wasps 

 of Europe they do not appear to live upon fruit, 

 but to be carnivorous, or general scavengers, like 

 the ants. Although not so interesting as the bees 

 and ants, they are well worth study, and no doubt 

 careful investigation would be amply rewarded. 

 Bees are not by any means so common as the 

 wasps, although the humble bees are more 

 plentiful, as might be expected from their being 

 so well fitted for the fertilisation of flowers. 



