NATURAL HISTORY. 43 



now, of the wasps which build under ground. 

 As soon as the warm season begins, the first 

 care of the mother-wasp is to look for a fit 

 place in which to build ; and in the spring of 

 the year she may very often be seen flying 

 about a hole in the bank of a ditch, and look- 

 ing into it. These holes which she examines 

 are the old houses of field-mice or moles, and 

 some persons have thought, what I expect is 

 true, that she likes to take such old holes, be- 

 cause they save her a great deal of hard work. 

 But still, as the holes are not large enough for 

 her use, she has a great deal of labour to 

 make them do. So she goes at once to work, 

 digging in the hole she has chosen, and 

 makes a winding, zigzag gallery, about two 

 feet long, and about an inch in width. She 

 digs out the earth, and carries it out, or 

 pushes it out behind her as she goes on. 

 This gallery ends in a ]arge$chamber or hole 

 from one to two feet across when it is done : 

 and now she is ready to begin her nest." 



" Now then, Uncle Philip, she will begin to 

 make paper, will she not ?" 



" Yes ; but here I ought to tell you that it 

 was a long time before men found out what 

 she made it of. Do you remember my tell- 



