FABRE'S BOOK OF INSECTS 



heat of summers, and if possible possessing a big fire- 

 place in which a fire of sticks always burns. The cheer- 

 ful blaze on winter evenings has a great influence upon 

 her choice, for she knows by the blackness of the chimney 

 that the spot is a likely one. A chimney that is not 

 well glazed by smoke gives her no confidence: people 

 must shiver wth cold in that house. 



During the dog-days in July and August the visitor 

 suddenly appears, seeking a place for her nest. She is 

 not in the least disturbed by the bustle and movement 

 of the household: they take no notice of her nor she 

 of them. She examines — now with her sharp eyes, now 

 with her sensitive antennae — the corners of the blackened 

 ceiling, the rafters, the chimney-piece, the sides of the 

 fireplace especially, and even the inside of the flue. 

 Having finished her inspection and duly approved of 

 the site she flies aw^y, soon to return with the pellet of 

 mud which will form the first layer of the building. 



The spot she chooses varies greatly, and often it is a 

 very curious one. The temperature of a furnace appears 

 to suit the young Pelopjeus: at least the favourite site 

 is the chimney, on either side of the flue, up to a height 

 of twenty inches or so. This snug shelter has its draw- 

 backs. The smoke gets to the nests, and gives them a 

 glaze of brown or black like that which covers the stone- 

 work. They might easily be taken for inequalities in the 



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