The Wit of the Wild 



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building and filling similar treasure-houses un- 

 der my porch roof. The main difference was, 

 that while this black wasp of the woods spread 

 its cells out flat, the blue ones in the veranda 

 piled theirs into a heap, and finally hid the heap 

 and protected it from enemies under a general 

 rough coat of mud. 



As soon as the really warm weather of sum- 

 mer arrives each of these wasps (all of which 

 are fertile females that have survived the winter 

 by hibernating in some snug retreat, and have 

 been spending a month or two in elegant leisure 

 sipping nectar and getting other dainties) feels 

 that the time has come to lay her quota of eggs, 

 and begins to build cells of mud, each just big 

 enough to contain her own body. 



Their skill in fabricating these out of pellets 

 of clayey earth, mixed with saliva and drawn 

 out by the complicated mouth-organs into rib- 

 bons of glutinous mud as they are laid on, is 

 admirable, but not so surprising as what 

 follows : 



As soon as the cell is finished the fresh open 

 end is usually closed by a temporary dab of 

 *>$ 28 fc 



