250 NATURAL HISTORY OF WASPS. 
and expose the comb freely to view. The most con- 
venient situation is a window ledge, where, under the 
shelter of a box without a lid, set up on end, the 
wasps will work as freely as in their more familiar 
quarters. It is advisable, before establishing the 
colony there, to see that the sash runs easily and 
without noise, that we may be able to look with our 
fingers, as they say, now and then, without irritating 
the swarm needlessly. It requires a little courage 
and skill to execute their removal successfully, but, 
once effected, the spectacle is one of constant varied 
interest, certainly not surpassed by that of aswarm of 
honey-bees ; while from the smaller number of the 
insects their proceedings are much more easily 
intelligible. : - 
Busy as wasps always are, yet a wasp’s nest does 
not present such a scene of universal ceaseless indus- 
try asa bee-hive. The stream of life passing in and 
out is not so strong, and wasps may often be seen, 
especially in autumn, lying motionless, or slowly 
crawling over the case of the nest. However, even 
honey-bees seem indolent and indifferent sometimes, 
as, for instance, when they are wandering by twos 
and threes over a new glass which has lately been 
added to their establishment, and of which they have 
not yet fairly taken possession. 
Supposing the removal of the nest and the expo- 
sure of the comb to have been successfully accom- 
plished, the wasps will settle down to their work in 
a few hours. After watching for a little while we 
find that the wasps coming into the nest are divisible 
into two classes, one laden with materials for mend- 
ing the injuries which the nest has suffered, the 
