1863.] 871 



by Ci/nipiilpc; stems of plants oxliibiting the labour of the parent insects 

 in boring through the pith to foriu cells for their progeny. Plants, such 

 as the Coniosdininn Canadensis, the interior of the stem of which is occu- 

 pied by hundreds of cocoons of a Moth, Leaves of plants rolled, curled, 

 tented and mined by Caterpillars and Aphides. Cells of the various Hy- 

 menopterous insects; the beautiful little nests of wasps, some quite round, 

 others pear-shaped, fJie work of a single pair. What a contrast between 

 these little structures and the nest of the common Wasp, which is some- 

 times twelve inches in diameter. A wasp occurs in Western Canada that 

 illustrates the constancy of specific work. This species generally selects 

 a hole in a bank, such as would be left by the falling out of a round stone. 

 The foundation is laid by a substance similar to that used by the common 

 species; this is worked upwards for a short distance. They then procure 

 a much whiter substance, and with it a second ring is formed of about three 

 quarters of an inch wide. The nest is thus a continuation of white and 

 brown rings, and from this peculiar instinct in the insect's mode of archi- 

 tecture, it is named Vcspa, marginata. Hymeaopterous insects, also con- 

 struct nests of mud and clay, laboring from day to day (in their season) un- 

 til completion; and the species called hornet make use of the same kind of 

 material that the cliff swallow selects to build its nest. The leaf-cuttiuff 

 Bee is provided with mandibles formed to cut circular pieces from leaves 

 of plants, and often have I watched its dexterity and neatness of work. The 

 collector of insect architecture may sometimes find under the bark of trees, 

 three or four rolls of semi-decayed leaves, from one to two inches in length. 

 — They are freqviently placed side by side, and contain food on which 

 the larvse feed. The cells are not unlike a continuation of thimbles placed 

 equidistant into each other. We also have the architectural labor of Ants in 

 beautiful gallaries, supported by pillars and traverses on which generations 

 of the insects move up and down in the decayed tree. 



The tubular aquatic nests of the larvse of Caddis-flies are subjects for an 

 enquiring mind; some being formed of grains of sand, others of leaves 

 and pieces of wood. 



A Coleopterist is content when the imago is discovered, and after des- 

 cribing it, considers his part performed towards the advancement of human 

 knowledge. Another goes further in delineating forms o^lurcse^ but their 

 architecture, in all cases, whether the work of larvse or of imago is altogether 

 neglected. Can not beauty and design be seen in the cocoons of Osmoder- 

 ma scahra and Osmoderma ercmicola? When the egg-shaped cocoons of 

 these pith-eating larvse are examined, we perceive them formed of fine par- 



