r 
250 HYMENOPTERA. 
mamma, you said the bees were to follow 
the wasps. 
Mother. But have we not had as 
much of the wasps as you can well re- 
member f I think we had better defer the 
bees till to-morrow, and finish this day's 
conversation by the general description 
of the vespa ; it is thus : mouth armed 
with jaws — no tongue — body smooth — 
sting concealed — antennae long — wings 
folded lengthwise. 
Lucy, Thank you, mamma, good 
bye. 
Mother, Before we part, I must men- 
tion two particularities which distinguish 
this whole genus : one is, that the upper 
Avings are folded in two, the whole of 
their length, whenever the animal is not 
flying ; the other is, that where the wings 
are jointed to the body, there is a sort of 
scaly projection placed over them ; this 
projection acts as a sort of stay, and pre- 
vents the wings from being stretched too 
far, or from being flapped too violently ; 
this is a most useful provision for such in- 
