Bees and Wasps. 71 



when I took her on my hand apparently expected 

 to be fed. She even allowed me to stroke her 

 without any appearance of fear, and for some 

 months I never saw her sting. 



When the cold weather came on she fell into a 

 drowsy state, and I began to hope she would 

 hibernate and survive the winter. I kept her in a 

 dark place, but watched her carefully, and fed her 

 if ever she seemed at all restless. 



6. She came out occasionally, and seemed as well 

 as usual till near the end of February, when one 

 day I observed she had nearly lost the use of her 

 antennae, though the rest of the body was as usual. 

 She would take no food. Next day I tried again 

 to feed her ; but the head seemed dead, though she 

 could still move her legs, wings, and abdomen. 

 The following day I offered her food for the last 

 time ; but both head and thorax were dead or 

 paralysed ; she could but move her tail, a last 

 token, as I could almost fancy, of gratitude and 

 affection. As far as I could judge, her death was 

 quite painless ; and she now occupies a place in 

 the British Museum. 



As regards colours, I satisfied myself that wasps 

 are capable of distinguishing colour, though they 

 do not seem so much guided by it as bees are. 



7. One day, at 7 A.M., I marked a common 

 worker wasp ( Vespa vulgaris\ and placed her to 

 some honey on a piece of green paper 7 inches by 

 4|. She worked with great industry. After she 



