irly settled back to my work and forgotten the incident,
when the same visitor, or another just like her, again appeared, this
time clearing the window-sill in her flight, and landing directly upon
my drawing-board, across which she sped, half creeping, half in flight,
and tugging her green caterpillar as before--longer than herself--which
she held beneath her body.

"This time I shall learn your secret," I thought. "Two such challenges
as this are not to be ignored." So I concluded this time to observe her
progress carefully. In a moment she had reached the right-hand edge of
my easel-board, from which she made a short flight, and settled upon a
large table in the centre of the room, littered with its characteristic
chaos of professional paraphernalia--brushes, paints, dishes, bottles,
color-boxes, and cloths--among which she disappeared. It was a hopeless
task to disclose her, so I waited patiently to observe the spot from
which she would emerge, assuming that this, like the window-sill and my
easel, was a mere way-station on her homeward travels. But she failed to
appear, while I busied my wits in trying to recall which particular item
in the collection had a _hole_ in it. Yes, there _was_ a spool among
other odds and ends in a Japanese boat-basket. That must be it! But on
examination the paper still covered both ends, and I was again at a
loss. What, then, can be the attraction on my table? My wondering
curiosity was immediately satisfied, for as I turned back to the board
and resumed my work I soon discovered another wasp, with its caterpillar
freight, on the drawing-board. After a moment's pause she made a quiet
short flight towards the table, and what was my astonishment to observe
her alight directly upon the tip of the very brush which I held in my
hand, which, I now noted for the first time, had a hole in its end! In
another moment she disappeared within the cavity, tugging the
caterpillar after her!

[Illustration]

My bamboo brushes! I had not thought of them! By mere chance a few
years since I happened upon some of these bamboo brushes in a Japanese
shop--large, long-handled brushes, with pure white hair nicely stiffened
to a tapering point, which was neatly protected with a sheathing cover
of bamboo. A number of them were at my elbow, a few inches distant, in a
glass of water, and on the table by the vase beyond were a dozen or so
in a scattered bundle.

Normally each of these brushes is closed at the