SOCIAL ECONOMY. 233 
And now to return to the wasp-embryo, which we 
left, just entering on the sleep from which it was to 
awaken into perfect insect life, shut up in its silken 
covering. In due time the white cap begins to look 
a little dark, and a moist semi-transparent spot 
shows itself about the centre. Soon a mandible is 
seen to project through the membrane at this spot. 
By incessant snipping and scratching, the hole is 
enlarged sufficiently to allow of the escape of the 
prisoner, and out struggles a pale sodden-looking 
wasp. In a few hours the newly-born insect becomes 
undistinguishable from the rest of the swarm, except 
perhaps by her larger size. If we catch her, just as 
she has escaped from her prison, we shall find the 
explanation of a deficiency which has puzzled us in 
taking an inventory of what she has left behind in 
her cell. Thus, probably, we shall find a few shreds 
hanging out of her mouth; and if these are carefully 
spread out, under the microscope, they will be seen 
to be fragments of the pupal membrane from the 
anterior part of the body. The investments of the 
posterior part only being usually left in the cell. 
The peeling process is fully completed before the 
wasp emerges into the dry air, otherwise the mem- 
brane would harden, and stick to the parts beneath, 
so that its removal would be difficult or impossible. 
As the process of peeling goes on, the insect keeps 
tearing off and swallowing all that is within her 
reach. So that if we want to obtain a good specimen 
of the pupal investment we must not wait till the 
insect is ready to come forth from her cell, but ‘re- 
move the pupa at a rather earlier period, before the 
