MORE WILD ANIMALS

We are getting to fill in more boxes in the I-Spy Book of European Fauna. (Does anybody remember Big Chief I-Spy? I certainly don't.) Anyway, after Bears, Beavers, Bison, Eagles, Lynx and Pine Martens (maybe) we yesterday came across our fiercest adversaries yet.

It happened like this. Ruth and I set out on a walk through an Alpine valley which would lead us eventually by a 12 - 13 km route to Lake Bohinj. The 2nd. couple of km are up a fairly steep and winding gorge. At the top Ruth said she needed to sit down somewhere for a short rest. A very short rest it was as, when she shortly afterwards jumped up (and she said she was tired!), she had hundreds of ants diligently and intimately exploring her clothing. And biting, both diligently and intimately. What was Ruth to do but rip off much of her clothing, leap around a bit and remonstrate with the pesky formicidi? Talk about Wild Animals! I've never seen anything like it! And neither had the passing motorists.

(Why do we say Bison and not Bisons, Fish and not Fishes, Lynx and not Lynxes?)

About a mile (1,6km) after the ants' nest and, with only 2 or 3 ants still on her, Ruth decided to examine within 2 inches (50,8mm) one of the hay racks they use in the Alps for drying err.. hay. That's when she found the wasps' nest.