CHAPTER I 



BRAMBLE-DWELLERS 



THE peasant, as he trims his hedge, whose 

 riotous tangle threatens to encroach 

 upon the road, cuts the trailing stems of the 

 bramble a foot or two from the ground and 

 leaves the root-stock, which soon dries up. 

 These bramble-stumps, sheltered and pro- 

 tected by the thorny brushwood, are in great 

 demand among a host of Hymenoptera who 

 have families to settle. The stump, when dry, 

 offers to any one who knows how to make use 

 of it a hygienic dwelling, where there is no 

 fear of damp from the sap; Its soft and 

 abundant pith lends itself to easy work; and 

 the top offers a weak spot which makes It pos- 

 sible for the insect to reach the vein of least 

 resistance at once without cutting a way 

 through the hard, ligneous wall. To many, 

 therefore, of the Bee and Wasp tribe, whether 

 honey-gatherers or hunters, one of these dry 

 stalks Is a valuable discovery, when its diamet- 

 er matches the size of Its would-be inhabit- 



