CH. V] WASPS 141 



her mouth, the " queen " carries it off to her chosen house 

 and applies it as a thin layer of " wasp-paper " to the top 

 of the cavity which is to hold the nest. A rootlet or 

 rafter or a well-placed straw in the thatch usually serves 

 for the foundation. 



By repeating the above process at length a disc is 

 made, and from the centre of this a narrow stalk is hung. 

 At its lower end the stalk widens out and here are laid 

 down the outlines of the first four cells. There is no one 

 central cell but the rest of the comb is added round these 

 four which are arranged thus 



The next four are added as shown, and so on with the 

 succeeding cells up to about thirty. The cells are closed 

 above but open below. An umbrella-shaped cover is hung 

 from the foundation to protect the comb and its contents. 

 As soon as each cell is outlined and provided with a low 

 inverted parapet the side walls an egg is deposited in 

 it, being fixed by a cement in the angle nearest to the 

 centre of the comb. 



In a few days, the exact length of time depending 

 upon the temperature, a legless grub emerges from the 

 egg. The grubs possess jaws and are fed chiefly on the 

 juices of animal food such as caterpillars, Aphides, and 

 flies, by their mother. As they grow they moult their 



