FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
11 
the way you chew gum. When it is soft, the wasp uses 
it to build the nest. Of course, the paper is not smooth 
and white like the paper in your book, but it does make 
the walls of the little rooms for her babies.” 
“Tell us about the babies,” begged Bess. 
“They do not look like Mother Wasp,” continued Uncle 
Jack. “They are just fat, little, white grubs. Here is one. 
Look down at the bottom of this tiny open room.” Uncle 
Jack held the piece of nest so they could see into it. “They 
have no legs nor wings. They do not need them, because 
each baby stays in its own room all of the time. The big 
wasps bring them food.” 
“What kind of food do the big wasps give them?” 
asked Fred. 
“The old wasps feed the babied caterpillars,” replied 
Uncle Jack. “When the old wasp finds a caterpillar, she 
kills it and chews it, until it is a little round ball which 
she can easily carry to the nest. Other wasps at the nest 
take part of the little ball from the one which brought it, 
and feed it to the babies.” 
“Do the babies grow very fast?” asked Marylee. 
“Yes, they do,” replied Uncle Jack. “When the baby 
grows so large that it almost fills the room, it covers the 
open end of the room with a kind of paper. The paper is 
almost like water when it comes from the baby's mouth, 
but it quickly turns white and strong.” 
“That is wonderful,” declared Bess. 
“The little white baby wasp,” continued Uncle Jack, 
“which does not have either wings or legs, shuts itself 
up. So it gets no more food. In a few days it comes out 
