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THE NATURE BOOK 



see her suddenly drop down at almost 

 the same spot against a fence some lilty 

 or sixt}' feet away. A little obserx'ation 

 at that spot explains the purport of her 

 regular visits. 



One of the palings of the fence has 

 become very dr}', and has split in all 



placed an egg. Such is the beginning of 

 the nest, or the Wasp city. The queen, 

 it will be obser\-ed. gathers her own 

 building material, masticates it, and 

 manufactures the paper for the walls of 

 the city ; then she turns architect and 

 builder. Finally, her motherly instinct 



NEST OF THE WOOD WASP ON A SYCAMORE TREE. 



directions. Each time the \\'asp appears 

 she ahghts ujion this paling, and from 

 the spht edges of it, by means of her 

 strong jaws, she tears off fibres of the 

 wood. These fibres she then gnaws and 

 works about until, together with the 

 sali\'a which she secretes, they become a 

 pulpy mass, which she then carries in 

 her mandibles to her l^urrow. 



The first few pellets so obtained are 

 ai)])lied to a root or some projecting ])art 

 in the roof of the chamber, until a stout 

 little papier-mache pillar nearly half an 

 inch in length is formed. To the end of 

 this httle footstalk is attached a little 

 grey cover or cap of about half an inch 

 in diameter, and to the underside of this 

 are attached generally four, but sometimes 

 three, cells. Then, in each of the cells is 



asserts itself, and she prepares the cradles 

 for her young and deposits her eggs. 

 Indeed, although she is designated a 

 queen, yet in tnath she is literally a maid- 

 of-all-work. 



Other cells are quickly added at the 

 sides of those already formed, and fresh 

 layers of paper are laid on above, each 

 layer being extended to cover the newly- 

 made cells, and turned in at the bottom, 

 so that the comb of the cells is al\\a\"S 

 co\'ered above and protected below, for 

 each cell is attached at its base and opens 

 mouth downwards. In the Wasp citydom 

 e\'erything is topsy-turvy, and, as I have 

 already mentioned, the queen Wasp, at 

 the very commencement of her city, lays 

 its foundations at the roof of her burrow. 



As the cells are formed, an egg is laid 



