$60 THE PHILOSOPHY 



it is eafy to diftinguifli the different kinds of thole wafps 

 which build their nefts below the ground. In the hive of 

 the hoiley-bee, the number of females is always extremely 

 fmall ; but, in a wafp's neft, there are often more than three 

 hundred females. During the months of June, July, and Au- 

 guft, they remain conftantly in the neft, and are never i'ten 

 abroad except in the beginning of fpring, and in the months 

 of September and Ocflober. During the fummer, they are 

 totally occupied in laying their eggs and feeding their yoang. 

 In this laft operation, they are affifted by the other wafps j 

 for the females alone, though numerous, would be infuifi- 

 cient for the laborious tafk. A wafp's neft, when complet- 

 ed, fometimes confifts of fixteen thoufand cells, each of 

 which contains an egg, a worm, or a nymph. The eggs are 

 white, tranfparent, of an oblong figure, and differ in fize, 

 according to the kind of wafps which are to proceed from 

 them. Some of them are no larger than the head of a fmall 

 pin. They are fo firmly glued to the bottoms of the cells, 

 that it is v/ith difficuity they can be detached without break- 

 ing. Eight days after the eggs are depofited in the cells, 

 the worms are hatched, and are considerably larger than the 

 eggs which gave birth to them. Thefe worms demand the 

 principal cares of the wafps who continue always in the neft. 

 They feed them, as birds feed their young, by giving them, 

 from time to time, a mouthful of food. It is aftoniftiing 

 to fee with what indnftry and rapidity a- female runs along 

 the cells of a comb, and diftributes to each v/orm a portion 

 of nutriment. In proportion to the ages and conditions of 

 the worms, they are fed with foHd food, fuch as the bellies 

 of infers, or with a liquid fubftance difgorged by the moth- 

 er. When a worm is fo large as to occupy its whole cell, it 

 is then ready to be metamorphofed into a nymph. It then 

 refufes all nourifhment, and ceafes to have any conne6lion 

 with the wafps in the neft. It ftiuts up the mouth of its ccii 



