E. M. CAMPBELL—OUR SOCIAL WASPS. 
159 
weeks crawls out of its cradle, a pale but a perfect wasp, attaining 
its full colour in a few hours. In the cell it has just quitted there 
is to be found the history of its infant-life. There are seen the 
egg-shell, the first skin with the first pair of mandibles, the second 
skin with the second pair of mandibles, the remains of its pupal 
garment, and the undigested food. Even the cocoon lines the cell 
and can be removed with warm water, just as that of the honey¬ 
bee with an alkaline solution. The wasps clean the cell as well 
as they are able, and the queen deposits another egg, which in 
its turn passes through all the stages of wasp-life. The male and 
female cells are larger than the others. 
The wasp is one of the most industrious of creatures. It rises 
earlier and goes to bed later than the bee. Sir John Lubbock, in 
his interesting book, ‘Ants, Bees, and Wasps’ (pp. 321 and 423), 
details how a wasp in August paid 116 visits in one day between 
4T3 a.m. and 7*46 p.m., and carried off 64 grains of honey. He 
had accustomed three bees to go to the honey, and the first bee 
only arrived at 5*45 a.m., and the last bee at 7*15 p.m. 
I fear that wasps are remembered by their vices rather than by 
their virtues. It may well be said that “the evil that wasps do 
lives after them,” for like bees they are frequently unable to 
withdraw their sting from the wound it has caused, and they 
become so mutilated in obtaining their freedom that they die 
shortly afterwards. This however occurs more often with bees 
than with wasps, which seem to have a greater control over their 
sting. The poison of the wasp is different from that of the bee, 
if I may judge from its different effects. Like most bee-keepers 
I am proof against the poison of a bee’s-sting and only feel the 
puncture, but the sting of the wasp causes a slight fester, a con¬ 
siderable swelling, and a great irritation which lasts several days. 
All beekeepers recognize the buzz of the angry bee, and profit 
by the warning, but there is a silent rapidity in the movement of 
wasps when bent on mischief which prevents any attempt at 
avoiding an unpleasant contact. Much of their success in attacking 
other insects is due to the same settled purpose, and they are in 
the habit of working noiselessly. Erom a hive of bees may be 
distinguished the hum of content, the cry of passion, and the note 
of the queen; but from a wasp’s nest proceeds no noise. All is 
still as death, and is in keeping with the predatory habits of the 
community. 
The largest wasp’s nest known is referred to by the Lev. J. Gr. 
Wood in ‘Homes without Hands’ (p. 237), and is to be seen in 
the Museum at Oxford. It is of the shape of a huge turnip, and 
nearly fills a glass case 2ft. in width and 4ft. in height. On the 
18th July, 1857, it was taken as an ordinary nest in Cokethorpe 
Park, Oxfordshire, and was removed to a window of a dwelling- 
house, with its inmates, who were regularly fed on beer and sugar. 
The workers of two other wasp-communities, possibly owing to 
the loss of their queen, joined it in the month of August, and 
the usual daily allowance for the whole colony was a pound of 
