124 LETTERS ON ENTOMOLOGY. 
bold and annoying robbers, are not quite so dis- 
agreeable or unamiable as they appear ; they are 
brisk and lively, do not attack unprovoked, and 
generally rob us to feed their young ones. 
Their societies consist of females, males, and 
workers. The large females are as large as six of 
the workers, and lay both male and female eggs. 
The small females are as large as the workers, 
and lay only male eggs. The queen wasp 
founds her colony and does all the work till the 
young ones can assist her; yet in the autumn the 
vespiary sometimes contains 16,000 cells: even 
at this time, with so much help, she sets an 
example of diligence to the whole community. 
The male wasps are much smaller than the fe- 
males, being about twice as large as the workers. 
They are not quite idle, for they are the scavengers 
of the community, and sweep the passages and 
streets, carrying off all the filth. They also re- 
move the dead bodies. 
The workers are the most numerous, and to 
us the only troublesome part of their society. 
In the summer and autumn they go forth by 
myriads to forage the country, and on their 
return, after reserving sufficient for the young 
brood, they divide the spoil with great im- 
partiality. Another employment for them is 
