138 April 1749. 



Another kind of wafps, which are 

 larger than thefe, make their nefts quite 

 open. It confifts merely of one cake, 

 which has no covering, and is made of the 

 boughs of trees. The cells are horizontal, 

 and when the eggs or the young larvce ly 

 in them, they have lids or coverings, that 

 the rain may not come into them. But 

 whither the old wafps retreat during 

 ftorms, is a myftery to me, except they 

 creep into the crevices of rocks. That 

 fide of the cake which is uppermoft is 

 covered with fome oily particles, fo that 

 the rain cannot penetrate. The cells are 

 hexagonal, from five to feven lines deep, 

 and two lines in diameter. Mr. Bartram 

 obferved, that thefe nefts are built of two 

 forts of materials, viz. the fplints which 

 are found upon old pales, or fences, and 

 which the wind feparates from them ; for 

 the wafps have often been obferved to fit 

 on fuch old wood, and to gnaw away thefe 

 fplints ; the fides and the lid or cover of 

 the cells are made of an animal fubftance, 

 or glutinous matter, thrown up by the 

 wafps, or prepared in their mouths ; for 

 when this fubftance is thrown into the 

 fire, it does not burn, but is only linged, 

 like hair or horn. But the bottom of the 

 neft being put into the fire, burns like li- 

 nen 



