HABITATIONS OF INSECTS, 



425 



When the fibres are sufficiently entangled, it pushes them 

 under its body by means of the first pair of legs ; the inter- 

 mediate pair receives the moss, and delivers it to the last, 

 which protrudes it as far as possible beyond the anus. When 

 by this process the insect has formed behind it a small ball 

 of well-carded moss, the next bee pushes it to the third, 

 which consigns it, in like manner, to that behind it; and thus the 

 balls are conveyed to the foot of the nest, and from thence 

 elevated to the summit, much in the same way that a file of 

 labourers transfer a parcel of cheeses from a vessel or cart to 

 a warehouse.^ It is easy to perceive that a vast saving of 

 time must ensue from this well contrived division of labour ; 

 the structure rising much more rapidly than if every indi- 

 vidual had been employed first in carding his materials, and 

 then in transferring them to the spot. 



Wasps, though ferocious and cruel towards their fellow- 

 insects, are civilised and polished in their intercourse with 

 each other, and form a community whose architectural 

 labours will not sufier on comparison even with those of the 

 peaceful inhabitants of a bee-hive. Like these, the great 

 object of their industry is the erection of a structure for their 

 beloved progeny, towards which they discover the greatest 

 tenderness and affection, and they even, in like manner, 

 construct combs consisting of hexagonal cells for their re- 

 ception ; but the substance which they make use of is very 

 dissimilar to the wax employed by bees ; and the general 

 plan of their city differs in many respects from that of a bee- 

 hive. 



The common wasp's nest, usually situated in a cavity 

 underground, is of an oval figure, about sixteen or eighteen 

 inches long by tvv elve or thirteen broad. Externally, it is 

 surrounded by a thick coating of numerous leaves of a sort of 

 greyish paper, which do not touch each other, but have a 

 small interval between each, so that if the rain should chance 

 to penetrate one or two of them, its progress is speedily 

 arrested. On removing this external covering, we perceive 



1 Reaum, vi. 7 — 10. 



