Water Beetles. Hog Lice. Water Whelks. Water Boatman.
XI.—WASPS.
The wasp’s nest was found at the edge of the wood, hanging from the branch of a small tree. It was greyish white in colour, shaped like a pear, and about the size of a hen’s egg.
Queen Wasp. Worker Wasp. Queen Bee. Worker Bee.
Uncle George removed it from the branch and carried it home carefully, for it was very light and very fragile. He took a pair of scissors and cut through the thin walls so as to remove nearly half of the coverings. When he had finished cutting, two thin, papery shells fell upon the table, one a size smaller than the other.
“Examine the stuff the wasp’s nest is made of, and tell me what it is most like, boys,” he said.
“It is more like paper than anything else,” said Tom.
“It is paper,” said his uncle.