THE WASF. 505 



KOt eonflrui^ed with that geometrical Ikill whiiph has 

 been fo often admired in thofe of the bee ; but they are 

 not on that account the lefs adapted to the parpofes they 

 are deftined to ferve. Each comb has only a fingle 

 lange of cells, with their mouths opening below. They 

 are intended, not for the reception of honey, but for the 

 habitation of the young, which are fed twice or thiice 

 a-day, by the morfels carried in by their parents. For 

 the more commodious reception of their food, each of 

 the larvce has its head turned downward oppofite to the 

 mouth of its cell, ready to receive its meal when ofFerr 

 ed*. 



There are, however, many varieties In the conftruc- 

 tlon of wafp hives, all fuited to the views of the different 

 Ipecies who inhabit them. Some have only a fingle row 

 of cells, placed vertically, like thofe of the bee, and the 

 mouths facing the fun : The reafon of this variety feems 

 to be, that fome kinds require the heat of the fun to hatch, 

 their eggs ; an advantage which could not be obtained, 

 were there more rows of cells, or were th€y placed in a. 

 different manner. 



As in a hive of bees, fo in that of wafps, there are 

 three difTerent kinds of animals : At certain feafons, it 

 contains only a fingle female, and a number of neuters or 

 mules, who are of no fex ; at other times it contains fome 

 hundreds ot females, and fiill a greater number of males. 

 The former are of a fize fo fuperior to the mules, that 

 one weighs againil eight ; even the male wafp is not 

 more than half the weight of his female. 



The condition of the female wafp differs widely from 

 that of the female bee : The latter, v.hen Ihe leads from 



Vol. III. 3 S t^e 



* Reaumur, Tom. VJ. Mem. vi. 



