THE HORNET. 45 
induced, nay, almost compelled, to use them in the con- 
struction of their nest. This is exactly what I did with 
reference to the nest in question.” 
Knowing from experience the difficulty of assaulting 
a Hornet’s nest, I asked Mr. Stone how he performed 
the task, and was told that his chief reliance was placed 
on chloroform. Approaching very cautiously to the nest, 
he twists some cotton wool round the end of a stick, 
soaks it in chloroform, and pushes it into the aperture. 
A mighty buzzing immediately arises, but is soon silenced 
by the chloroform, and as soon as this result has happened, 
mallet, chisel, and saw are at work, until the renewed 
buzzing tells that the warlike insects are recovering their 
senses, and will soon be able to use their formidable 
weapons. The chloroform is then re-applied until they 
are quieted, and the tools are again taken up. 
The extrication of a nest from a hollow tree is necessarily 
a long and tedious process, on account of the frequent in- 
terruptions. Even if the insects did not interfere with 
the work, the labour of cutting a nest out of a tree is 
much harder than could be imagined by those who have 
not tried it. 
Moreover, the habits of Hornets are not quite like 
those of the wasps. At night, all the wasps retire into their 
nest, and in the dead of night the nest may be approached 
with perfect safety, the last stragglers having come home. 
Hornets are apt to continue their work through the greater 
part of the night, and if the moon be up, they are nearly 
sure to do so. Therefore, the nest-hunters are obliged 
to detail one of their party as a sentinel, whose sole 
business it is to watch for the Hornets that come dropping 
in at intervals, laden with building materials or food, and 
that would at once dash at the intruders upon theirdomains. 
Fortunately, the light from the lanterns seems to blindthem, 
