Evening star., 1949-07-14
This and That
By Charles Z. Trdce11ell

1t has been a week, now, since the wasps
started their nest of cells inside the screen.
The window was put down, and kept
down. thus keeping the winged ones out of
the house.
The cells have grown from four to six to
ten but that seems pretty slow.
The wasps have increased in number
from three, then four. to five. 7
They do not all, as we first thought, work
ceaselessly all day long.
One Or more, usually two, are resting at
the top, back.
At first we did not sec these delinquents
from the spirit of the hive"
We were giving them all credit for being
tireless.
1t seems that, along with less energetic
creatures. they must have rest period, too.
It all seems a great deal OF time and
work spent on SO little.
The whole affair is not more than an
inch and half long, and an inch wide.
The watcher wonders whether anything
will ever come of it. One doubts If this is
the real thing. or only mock affair built
by amateurs of the breed
If the observer comes to the window, they
pay not the slightest attention, but sud-
den movement of the hand to a point on the
window nearest the cells will cause one of
them-never more than one-to dart for
ward.
He propels himself at the glass, hits it at
the point of the hand, and retreats.
This does not impress the observer as be-
ing intelligent. in real sense. but merely
a reaction of the group. as if this one has
been singled out to make such darts at Of
tenders.
He makes the dart, all right, but he flies
right back to the cells, or nest. Does he
think he has frightened off the hand be-
cause it casts no shadow again?
Maybe he does.
Or perhaps not.
These things are insects, and what brains
they have are only part of their physical
reactions. meted out to them over the
centuries. They have no books, schools, no
language unless the latter is done by wing
spreads. something on the order of sema-
phores, or by dancing movements, as is now
claimed for the bees
These are ugly, moroSe types of waSps.
They prove again that the human use of
'waspish" to denote fierce attack without
much reason behind it was good choice.
No attack has been made so far against
the aluminium paper stuffed in the opening
around the sash cords.
1t fits as snugly as ever.
If any adventurer has flown in and up or
down, it has been turned back.
Not one of the creatures has been seen
inside the window. as before.
They stick silently to the cells in which
they poke their heads endlessly.
If there is any secretion put in it is not
visible.
The cells point outward and slightly down.
ward. each about a quarter of an inch wide
and maybe two times as deep.
The heads of the wasps move around and
around, ceaselessly smoothing it-fof what
purpose?
The watcher is growing tired of these
things. He doesn't believe they have any
purpose.
It is all some sort of natural hokum, part
of fallacious mystery Of the hive
These fellows are frauds. They are 60
ing through the motions of being wasps
without being sure of what wasps do
They are taking too much time A whole
week, and practically nothing done. They
should hurry up. Do they not know that
summer is waning, and that autumn will
soon be here, with its cold winds?
One would not ask them to hang out q
welcome" on their front door. perhaps, but
surely they should be farther advanced than
IL cells in a week.
At that rate, Christmas will catch them
before they know it.