142 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



hive. To his surprise, he found on the under 

 side of the cover a small paper nest, and on it 

 the sole proprietor, Mrs. Gold-banded Paper- 

 maker. Two years before he had become in- 

 terested in a similar nest, only to have it de- 

 stroyed when things were getting really inter- 

 esting. He determined to use every precau- 

 tion to prevent a similar catastrophe this time, 

 for here was an acquaintance worth while. 



Mother Paper-maker had built her little 

 nest all by herself, and it already contained 

 numerous cells which served the purpose of 

 cradles for the baby wasps, for Mrs. Paper- 

 maker was a wasp. A careful count showed 

 fifteen eggs, and eleven young larvae that had 

 already hatched. 



When the Naturalist had made the ac- 

 quaintance of Mrs. Cottontail, there was first 

 Mother Cottontail and then the babies. When 

 he had come to know Mother Red-tail, there 

 was first Mother Red-tail, then the eggs, and 

 later the babies. When the insect world 

 opened to him, the life cycle was still longer, 

 for first there was Mother Paper-maker, then 

 the eggs, later the larvae; then they encased 

 themselves in silken cocoons, and became 

 pupa, and later appeared as wasps like their 



