IVASP NESTS. 215 



yellow and black banded body. Both the insects, as well as 

 their houses, are represented of the natural size. 



The cell of the Pelopaeus is larger than that of the preceding 

 insect, and occupies much more time in the construction, a week 

 at least being devoted to the task. She sets to work very 

 methodically, taking a long time in kneading the clay, which 

 she rolls into Httle spherical pellets, and kneads for a minute or 

 two before she leaves the ground. She then flies away with her 

 load, and adds it to the nest, spreading the clay in a series of 

 rings, like the courses of bricks in a circular chimney, so that 

 the edifice soon assumes a rudely cylindrical form. 



When she has nearly completed her task, she goes off in 

 search of creatures wherewith to stock the nest, and to serve as 

 food for the young, and selects about the most unpromising 

 specimens that can be conceived. Like many other solitary 

 hymenoptera, this Pelopaeus stores her nest with spiders, and 

 any one would suppose that she would choose the softest and 

 the plumpest kinds for her young. It is found, however, that 

 she acts precisely in the opposite manner. 



There is in the British Museum a most extraordinary series 

 of wasps' nests, built by the insects under the superintendence 

 of the late Mr. Stone, whose death is a serious loss to all zoo- 

 logists. The story of these nests is very remarkable, and 

 shows how much we have to learn concerning the habits and 

 instincts of insects. 



In the month of August, 1862, a nest of the common Wasp 

 ( Vespa germaiiica) was taken near Brighthampton, and handed 

 over to Mr. Stone, who has long been in the habit of experi- 

 menting upon these insects. 



The nest was very much damaged by carriage, and Mr. Stone 

 took it entirely to pieces, placing one or two small combs inside 

 a square wooden box with a glass front, and supporting them 

 by a wire which passed through the combs to the roof of the 

 box. He then fixed the box in a window, so as to allow the 

 insects free ingress and egress through a hole in the back. 



About three hundred of the workers were then collected, 



