330 
natural history. 
compact, being larger at each end than in the middle, not 
much unlike the columns of a building. All the cells ot the 
nests are only destined for the reception of the young, being 
replete with neither wax nor honey. 
Each cell is, like that of' the bee, hexagonal ; but there are 
two sorts, the one larger, for the production of the male 
and the female wasps, the other less, for the reception of the 
working part of the community. When the females are im- 
pregnated by the males, they lay their eggs, one in each cell, 
and stick it in with a kind of gummy matter to prevent its 
falling out. From this egg proceeds the insect in its worm- 
state, of which the old ones are extremely careful. But the 
wasp community differs from that of the bee in this ; that 
among the latter the working bees take the parental duties 
upon them, whereas, among the wasps the females alone 
are permitted to feed their young, and to nurse their rising 
progeny. For this purpose the female waits with great 
patience till the working wasps have brought in their pro- 
visions, which she takes from them, and cuts into pieces. 
She then goes with great composure from cell to cell, and 
feeds every young one with her mouth. When the young 
worms have come to a certain size, they leave oil eating, and 
beo-in to spin a very fine silk, fixing the first end to the en- 
trance of the cell ; then turning their heads, first on one side 
then on the other, they fix the thread to different parts, and 
thus they make a sort of door which serves to close up the 
mouth of the cell. After this they divest themselves of 
their skins after the usual mode of transformation, the au- 
relia by degrees begins to emancipate itself from its shell ; 
by little and little it thrusts out its legs and wings, and in- 
sensibly acquires the colour and shape of its parent. 
The wasp thus formed, and prepared for depredation, be- 
comes a bold, troublesome, and dangerous insect ; there are 
no dangers which it will not encounter in pursuit of its prey, 
and nothing seems to satiate its gluttony. Though it can ga- 
ther no honey of its own, no animal is more fond of sweets. 
For this purpose, it will pursue the bee and the humble-bee, 
destroy them with its sting, and then plunder them of their 
honey-bag, with which it flies triumphantly loaded to its 
nest to regale its young. Wasps are ever fond of making 
their nests in the neighbourhood of bees, merely to have an 
opportunity of robbing their hives, and feasting on the spoil. 
Yet the bees are not found always patiently submissive to their 
tyranny, but fierce battles are sometimes seen to ensue, in 
which the bees make up by conduct and numbers what they 
want in personal prowess. When there is no honey to be 
