THE FIRST PAPER-MAKERS 275 
with amazing swiftness. All day long and all 
night, too, I am sure, the work went steadfastly 
on, the little worker tearing off tiny splinters 
from the old rough-hewn timbers, chewing and 
moistening them with saliva and rolling them into 
a ball. When the ball was as large as could be 
carried, off she went to her workshop—a big leaf 
close to the site. Here the ball was spit out, 
thoroughly kneaded and spread in the sun to dry. 
But it was by no means finished. Just as the 
paper pulp in our factories is reduced to con¬ 
sistency by mixing and beating, so, too, is the 
little hornet’s product prepared. And I wouldn’t 
undertake to say how many times each little pellet 
was turned, kneaded, chewed, and torn and 
spread to sun again. Some authorities claim 
eight or nine processes for each tiny bit of pa¬ 
per; at any rate the business went on over and 
over until the keen eye of the little worker was 
satisfied with the result. Then, as a finishing 
operation, the paper was sized or glazed. And 
how do you suppose this difficult work was ac¬ 
complished? Simply by licking every portion of 
the surface. When dry, the coating of saliva was 
firm and hard and moisture proof. 
“ After* enough material had been collected to 
warrant the beginning of actual building opera¬ 
tions, the queen proceeded to lay the foundation, 
or perhaps we had better say the ridgepole; for 
