ol70 Insects. 



cells was thirty-three, in various stages of completeness ; four cells 

 were closed by the white silken caps which are spun by the larvae ; 

 seven cells contained each a nearly full-grown larva ; nine others had 

 in them larvae in different stages of growth, and round the margin of 

 the comb were cells containing each a single egg. Having obtained 

 nests of wasps in different stages of formation I am enabled to trace 

 the gradual progress made by the queen as foundress of the colony. 



The mother wasp having found or formed a subterranean chamber 

 adapted to her purpose, constructs a footstalk or attachment to a root, 

 or other suitable support at the top of the vaulted chamber: at the 

 end of the supporting column she constructs three or four cup-shaped 

 receptacles ; these are, of course, in a reversed position, hanging bell- 

 wise, the depth of each is about the tenth part of an inch. Having 

 proceeded thus far, her next care is to deposit an egg in each : these 

 are hatched in four or five days, depending much upon the tem- 

 perature of the weather; during the interval, the parent wasp lays the 

 foundation of four or five other cells, and by the time the four eggs 

 deposited in the first instance are hatched, she has the foundation of 

 more cells ready to receive eggs. The larvae of wasps grow rapidly, 

 attaining their full size in from ten to twelve days, so that as soon as 

 the eggs first deposited are hatched, the labour of the little architect is 

 divided between feeding her young and constructing cells for additions 

 to her family. From the time at which the first larvae are hatched the 

 wasp commences to give to the superstructure of each cell a regular 

 and beautiful hexagonal form ; with the growth of the larva she raises 

 the cells : no cell is ever finished or carried up to its full height until 

 the larva contained in it is full-grown; the progress of building a cell 

 is to be traced, in many instances, by the different coloured matter 

 used in its construction ; great beauty and variety may be observed in 

 many nests, from the wasp having used different coloured woods in 

 the formation of the cells. It will therefore become apparent to every 

 one, that the raising of the walls of the hexagonal cells in a wasp's nest 

 is as regular and progressive as that of a mason erecting the walls of 

 an hexagonal building, time elapsing between the addition of each 

 layer, in the same way as might intervene during the operations of a 

 mason — time sufficient for each additional layer to harden and prepare 

 it for the support of further additions to its walls. 



On viewing one of these foundation-combs, it will be observed that 

 the outer foundations of cells, or those which occupy the circumference 

 of the comb, exhibit scarcely an approach to the hexagonal form ; but, 

 immediately they are raised beyond the cup -shaped foundation, they 



