The sun., 1901-05-12
VASES ARE BBR FRIENDS.
miss Morley Of the Opinion That These rnss0ss
Have Fine Qualities.

| BosroS, May A woman who makes Q
| special study OF wasps might seem to be an
unusually heroic sort OF person. For wasps.
| most people agree, are creatures TO keep
| at a distance. Miss Margaret Warner Nor
| ley. whose winter home Ia In Boston, In
| .ists. ho wever. that the wasp 10 really one of
| the most amiable creatures In the world.
| And 40 one perusss her book and hears hsr
| talk about the way II was written one comes
almost to believe that her view OF the matter
| is right and that people have been slandering g
| a wonderfully unselnsh and exceptionally
capable member OF the insect family
In spite Of her rather pointed and tactless
manner. vespa, the wasp. 10 very well
meaning person. according 10 Miss Morley.
She Is never angry except when an honest
wasp ought 10 be There are wasps that dis
| crimlnate and even make friends with their
human neighbors
What goes on In an undisturbed wasp's
nest Is very different from what happens In .
| disturbed one, Miss Morley explained smil-
ingy "Wasps. when let alone. are orderly
housekeepers. and are fully as Intelligent as
bees Those Of them that build paper nests
are indeed absurdly like the honey bees in
| their habits. even transcendine those time
| honored artisans in their methods OF rest
and comb A bee can't help making
| wax 1t breaks out IN wax as we DO IN pers-
piration But with the wasp tnere II ahoIher
| story II seCretes no wax III,
| When Nespa wants a nest she must Work
| hard poor thing, and hnd materials outsl1e
| her own person And SO II comes about that
| the wasp makes out OF wood pulp species
| of paper for her nest. very credtable paper
too, almost as good as that upon when h some some
are fashioned the cradles OF the rising gem
| Grafton Of the wasp family
When the wasp babies come they re fed
| By the mother wasp ~ prettily IA the Dlrd
| feeds her hedgngs with bits carried In the
| mouth Meanwhile the gentlemen OF the ram ,
| lily build nests of mud on the ground moor u
| the apartment and stock the same with IN
, sects which they disable by sting that
paTalyZes while II does not Kill IhrouR .
| this means the wasp progeny IL supplied
| with fresh food as long as Is necessary
| For all this you say one may acCnuht
| on the ground Of instinct, but " - dlillcHlt
| 20 explain except by postulaiing reason the
clever manner IN whiGh tmr ar %"1I c,nNsaI T Iheir
| hahitutions from parasitic hs"Ct@. ~
| fore leaving lis home the wasp stops tne
| entrance thereof with little stones or gravel
/ TLen II marks the site bv careful ob-erya-
| tion of surrounding grass blades. leaves OF
stones and goes a-hunting Having se'ureu
| its gam" it comes haCk, opens j., doorway, way,
| dracS In the captured insect, lays an egg
1 on f. comes out. stops up the entrance again
| and goes after another victim
"keturnins once more Neepa opens o ths
| nnn again comes ont. closes the eutranc"
| and pursues the chase Thus II continues
until II has laid away as many pres"rVen
cra-shoppers or Catcrplllar- as me case
demands rhcn n closes tn" entrance per-
| manentlv and carefully, neatly Nmonthes
down the earth above ana ahout 'hc nes'
unit! all traces of itS presence ar" oDllt'r-
ated Then IL goes il way 70 return no more
The work Of the wasp l. over and It cheer
fully lies down to die. surely these noble
lfttlc insects are not nearly 50 blh'k aS lhel
several wears ago being in Florida for the
winter, | began 10 watch IN" money be's
tina, | finally devoted three wears 70 their
study ! chased them about The how"rs
for one season. studied them in the aplarleS,
from books and with my compound micro
scope for another, and In my excursions
was carried into unexpected and wide Neld7
Of literature The third season ! spent IN
~" Libraries hunting the bee through
lIndoo, Egyptian, Greek. Latin. "erman
But one cannot work with bees without
coming in constant contact WIN thr wasp.
and II was very natural after diSnlS~Ing
the bees 10 turn 70 these cousins II dld
not take long 10 discover that aside from
historical aud poetical Interest. me Tasps
were even more fascinating than the bees
Indeed | was SO surprised at their intelli-
gence that ! haven't recovered yotl
Il began with the wasps, as | did with
tho bees by chasing them about the helds
examining their nests and 50 on, and with
all my meddling In their affairs was stung
only two or three times and then not serious
Is ! think | AN one of the favored indi-
viduals that these insects are not aversc to-
~ any rat" l Can e. about beehive. and
hornets nests with very little danger OF get
ting stung And when am stung II doesn't
poison me as Il sometimes does some people
The only real discomfort ever had from
my peppery pets was when ! lhadVeTtehtly
stepped on bee with my bare foot II gave
II TO me for all IL was worth and who could
blame II? one Of the results of my study
of the wasp Is that have lost all fear OF them
and have very much increased In respect
for them
Miss Morley ls an Iowan by birth and has
been a teacher OF biology.