358 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



On examining some specimens, he discovered the curions fact, 

 that the pupal envelope did not sit closely to the hody, but that 

 it was as wide in the middle as at either end, so that when the 

 insect came to assume its perfect form, the peduncle was quite 

 loose in the centre of the envelope, and the abdomen could be 

 drawn out without any difficulty. 



These observations are peculiarly valuable, because they set at 

 rest a question which was raised by several entomologists, who 

 thought that the nests were made by some species of eumenes, 

 and that the Pelopseus M'as a mere parasite upon them, like the 

 cryptus, and many other of the ichneumonidse. 



If the reader will refer to the large engraving, entitled " Mr. 

 Stone's Wasp-nests," he will see a representation of four square 

 boxes, each containing an object which would hardly be taken 

 for a wasp's-nest at a little distance. Such, however, is the case ; 

 and these boxes are four selected examples out of a series of six 

 which were built in Mr. Stone's house, and presented by him to 

 the British Museum. The story of these nests is very remark- 

 able, and shows how much we have to learn concerning the 

 habits and instincts of insects. 



In the month of August, 1862, a nest of the common Wasp 

 (Vespa germanica), was taken near Brighthampton, and handed 

 over to Mr. Stone, who has long been in the habit of experiment- 

 ing upon these insects. One extraordinary nest which was built 

 by wasps under his auspices, has already been mentioned on 

 page 256. 



The nest was very much damaged by carriage, and Mr. Stone 

 took it entirely to pieces, placing one or two small combs inside 

 a square wooden box with a glass front, and supporting them 

 by a wire which passed through the combs to the roof of the box. 

 He then fixed the box in a window, so as to allow the insects 

 free ingress and egress through a hole in the back. 



About three hundred of the workers were then collected, 

 placed in the box, and well supplied with sugar and beer. They 

 immediately began to work, and their first object was to cover 

 the combs with paper. Tliey worked with great rapidity, and in 

 two days had formed a flask-shaped nest, having covered both 

 the combs and the wire, beside plastering large sheets of paper 

 over the sides of the box. They did not attempt to build upon 



