84 NxVTURAL HISTORY 



but these decay, being either killed or dying abroad ; and about the 

 month of October the males and queens are in the greatest number 

 in the bives. 



Of the Egg. — The time the egg takes to hatch is not known, nor is it 

 easy to be known ; at least, I have not been able to inspect the parts 

 at stated times : but, by taking the whole progress, I am led to sup- 

 pose it cannot be long ; probably only a few days ; for, in a wasp's 

 nest in which I observed its progress from day to day, I could make a 

 guess. When the egg is hatched the maggot becomes the object, first 

 of the queen, and then of the young brood themselves ; they are con- 

 stantly employed in feeding the young, and for that purpose the maggots 

 have all their heads towards the mouth of the cell, and of course 

 downward 1 . It may be difficult to find out all' the modes of feeding 

 the young. We must suppose at present tbat the queen or mother of 

 the whole feeds the first brood of labourers ; but, when once two or 

 three are arrived at the wasp state, then they immediately release her 

 of that office, as well as of the office of building. As the labourers 

 serve the queen in building and feeding, a question naturally arises, — 

 Do the males and the young queens take upon them the office of 

 feeding? I think it is probable the males do, as they go about for 

 their own food, and come forth early enough in the season to feed the 

 maggot-queens ; and from an experiment, they seemed to feed the 

 maggots. The maggots are fed probably with the same land of food 

 which the old ones eat themselves. I have caught the labourers 

 coming into the hives with the materials in their mouths or forceps. 

 In some it has been a small fly ; in others the pulp of fruit ; in some, 

 pieces of meat ; and, in squeezing by accident some of the maggots, 

 I have squeezed out the juice of the cherry. They have two teeth, or 

 rather pincers, which open laterally, and which they are often opening 

 and shutting. As their tails are towards the bottom of the cell their 

 excrement must be deposited there, which is allowed to dry : it is of a 

 black colour lying at the bottom of the cell; so that the old ones 

 never clean them. The maggots can live a long time without eating : 

 I have known them three weeks before they died. This power of 

 abstinence must often be put to the trial, as often as the weather is 

 such as will not allow the old ones to go abroad. 



The maggots cast their external coat ; but how often I do not know. 

 I have found them, when about half-grown, with their coat half off, as 



1 [Nothing is said of the attachment of the eggs to the sides of the cells when 

 they are deposited in them, which I believe is always the case, by a pedicle. — 

 W. Clift.] 



