202 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



foiin of a parallelogram ; and proceeding in a similar way, it 

 was not long in making a ring a ver}^ little wider than 

 sufficient to admit its body. It extended this ring in breadth, 

 by working on the inside only, narrowing the diameter by 

 degrees, till it began to take the form of a cone. The apex 

 of this cone was not closed np, but left as an ajDerture 

 through which to eject its excrements. 



It is worthy of remark, that one of the caterpillars 

 which we deprived of its tent, attempted to save itself 

 the trouble of building a new one, b}^ endeavouring to 

 unhouse one of its neighbours. For this purpose, it got 

 upon the outside of the inhabited tent, and, sliding its 

 head down to the entrance, tried to make its way into the 

 interior. But the rightful owner did not choose to give 

 up his 23i*emises so easily; and fixed his tent down so 

 firmly upon the table where we had placed it, that the 

 intruder was forced to abandon his attempt. The instant, 

 however, that the other unmoored his tent and began to 

 move about, the invader renewed his efforts to eject him, 

 persevering in the struggle for several hours, but without 

 a chance of success. At one time we imagined that he 

 would have accomplished his felonious intentions ; for he 

 bound down the apex of the tent to the table with cables of 

 silk. But he attempted his entrance at the wrong end. 

 He ought to have tried the aperture in the apex, by 

 enlarging which a little he would undoubtedly have made 

 good his entrance ; and as the inhabitant could not have 

 turned upon him for want of rooui, the castle must have 

 been surrendered. This experiment, however, was not 

 tried, and there was no hope for him at the main entrance. 



Muff-shaped Tents. 



The ingenuity of man has pressed into his sei-vice not 

 only the wool, the hair, and even the skins of animals, 

 but has most extensively searched the vegetable kingdom 

 for the materials of his clothing. In all this, however, he 

 is rivalled by the tiny inhabitants of the insect world, as 



