46 
UNDER THE PLANTAIN LEAF 
suppose you are not of much use 
to human beings?” 
“That is a great mistake. You 
must know that we eat many tiny 
insects that would destroy useful 
plants.” 
“That is the way with us,” said 
the wasp. “The world calls us use¬ 
less, but it would be a very different 
sort of place if the wasps were not 
in it to help clear away troublesome 
little creatures.” 
“Well,” said the bee, “we do not 
eat creatures at all, so we are not 
useful in that way, but—” 
“And what else have you done 
to-day, Miss Formica?” rudely inter¬ 
rupted the wasp, who was not in 
the mood, just then, to hear the 
