THE HORNET. 267 



sealed, it always crystallises, and in that state is injurious to 

 digestion. Moreover, it is so extensively adulterated, that a 

 pot of really pure honey is not easily obtained. 



Besides the honey, ' bee-bread ' is placed in the cells. This 

 is a compound of honey and the pollen of flowers, and is 

 chiefly used as food for the young grubs. We may often see 

 the Bees hastening home with a load of yellow pollen on each 

 of the hinder pair of legs, and this pollen is destined to be 

 made into bee-bread. 



Such, then, is a brief outline of the wonderful social habita- 

 tion which is made by the Hive Bee. 



We now come to an insect which is as well known by name 

 as the bee, though not so familiar to our eyes. This is the 

 common Hornet (Vespa crab7'o), which is tolerably plentiful 

 in many parts of England, but seems to be almost absent from 

 others. 



The nest of the Hornet is much like that of the wasp, except 

 that it is proportionately larger, and is almost invariably built 

 in hollow trees, deserted outliouses, and places of a similar 

 description. Whenever the Hornet takes up its residence in 

 an inhabited house, as is sometimes the case, the inmates are 

 sure to be in arms against the insect, and with good reason. 

 The Hornet is much larger than the wasp, and its sting is 

 proportionately venomous. It is popularly said that three 

 Hornets can kill a man ; and although in such a case the 

 sufferer must previously have been in bad health, the poisonous 

 properties of the Hornet are sufficiently virulent to render such 

 a saying popular. 



Moreover, the Hornet is an irascible insect, and given to 

 assault those whom it fancies are approaching its nest with evil 

 intentions. It is not pleasant to be chased by wasj)s, but to 

 be chased by Hornets is still less agreeable, as I can personally 

 testify. They are so persevering in their attacks that they will 

 follow a man for a wonderfully long distance, and if they be 

 struck away over and over again, they will leturn to the charge 

 as soon as thev recover from the shock. There is a deep 



