The Wonderland of the Wasps 141 



etc. Eventually the queen wasp became the mother of from 

 20,000 to 60,000 wasps. As autumn approached, dome-shaped 

 cells appeared, and from these emerged the young queens and 

 their suitors, the males, to carry on the generations for the next 

 year. Photographs showed the wasps biting their way out of 

 the cells as they matured, and the cells being cleaned and pre- 

 pared almost immediately for another egg to be placed in them 

 by the queen, for they could be used three times during one 

 summer. One slide displayed a comb containing over 4,000 

 cells, which used three times would represent 12,000 wasps, and 

 the nest often contained ten combs, although not all so large as 

 that one. At the first signs of wintry weather the worker wasps 

 quickly perished, and the nest soon became a complete ruin, only 

 the young queens could live through the winter, each surviving 

 one would then become the mother of a new wasp colony the 

 following year. 



At the conclusion of the lecture the Chairman said while 

 there would be no formal vote of thanks, he would ask the 

 audience to express their appreciation of the brilliant and most 

 fascinating lecture they had just listened to. He thought the 

 interest with which the lecture had been followed had been felt 

 by the lecturer throughout the evening, and that was the best 

 thanks they could give to him. 



