1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 2C>7 



ant there are several sorts ; some are as green as a 

 leaf, and live upon trees, where they build their nests 

 of various sizes, between that of a man's head and 

 his fist. These nests are of a very curious structure : 

 they are formed by bending down several of the 

 leaves, each of which is as broad as a man's hand, 

 and gluing the points of them together, so as to form 

 a purse ; the viscus used for this purpose, is an 

 animal juice, which Nature has enabled them to ela- 

 borate. Their method of first bending down the 

 leaves, w r e had not an opportunity to observe ; but 

 we saw thousands uniting all their strength to hold 

 them in this position, while other busy multitudes 

 were employed within, in applying the gluten that was 

 to prevent their returning back. To satisfy ourselves 

 that the leaves were bent, and held down by the effort 

 of these diminutive artificers, we disturbed them in 

 their work, and as soon as they were driven from 

 their station, the leaves on which they were em- 

 ployed sprung up with a force much greater than we 

 could have thought them able to conquer by any 

 combination of their strength. But, though we gra- 

 tified our curiosity at their expence, the injury did 

 not go unrevenged ; for thousands immediately threw 

 themselves upon us, and gave us intolerable pain 

 with their stings, especially those who took posses- 

 sion of our necks and our hair, from whence they 

 were not easily driven : the sting was scarcely less 

 painful than that of a bee ; but, except it was re- 

 peated, the pain did not last more than a minute. 



Another sort are quite black, and their operations 

 and manner of life are not less extraordinary. Their 

 habitations are the inside of the branches of a tree, 

 which they contrive to excavate by working out the 

 pith almost to the extremity of the slenderest twig ; 

 the tree at the same time flourishing, as if it had no 

 such inmate. When we first found the tree, we ga- 

 thered some of the branches, and w T ere scarcely less 

 astonished than we should have been to find that we 



