
          183.

slightest injury.  It seemed a great pity to sacrifice
such a stately tree, yet the possession of the beautiful
<s>wasp</s> hornet's nest, the thought too, that the tree was
doomed, that if we did not take the nest, someone
else would, and the sight of several trees which
would be benefited by the removal of this one,
consoled us for the ugly act.  We wrapt [wrapped] the
nest up carefully in newpapers, which protected
it in our marching through the woods.  It was
brought home in perfect condition.  Shaking the
nest, we heard <s>the</s> a rattling caused by small variously
shaped pellets, which could be crumbled into
a very fine brownish powder; besides these pellets
were some brownish masses, somewhat spindle shaped
a little sticky, smelling very much <s>illegible</s> like cantherides.
We now proceeded towards the camp.
The ice on the brook was a little thicker.  On
one of the slopes we found a dead tree around the [its]
base the ground had been made smooth, nothing growing
        