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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  They 
  consist 
  of 
  innumerable 
  intercommunicating 
  passages, 
  whicli 
  

   are 
  their 
  cells, 
  whereto 
  most 
  entrances 
  enter 
  from 
  below, 
  a 
  few 
  from 
  

   above 
  and 
  fewest 
  vertically. 
  The 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  holes 
  of 
  the 
  entrances 
  

   is 
  usually 
  round. 
  The 
  galleries 
  broaden 
  inwardly, 
  in 
  many 
  places, 
  

   yet 
  the 
  openings 
  from 
  one 
  gallery 
  into 
  another 
  invariably 
  keep 
  their 
  

   nearly 
  round 
  shape. 
  The 
  walls 
  of 
  these 
  cells 
  are 
  tuberculated 
  

   (" 
  knotigt 
  ") 
  on 
  their 
  outer 
  and 
  inner 
  surfaces, 
  like 
  a 
  shagreen-skin, 
  

   and 
  this 
  is 
  most 
  distinctly 
  noticeable 
  on 
  the 
  edges 
  near 
  the 
  openings 
  and 
  

   entrances. 
  Through 
  a 
  magnifying-glass 
  they 
  appear 
  fibrous 
  and 
  woolly. 
  

   The 
  thickness 
  of 
  these 
  walls, 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  still 
  recent, 
  amounts 
  to 
  one- 
  

   and-a-half 
  and 
  in 
  most 
  places 
  barely 
  one-third 
  of 
  a 
  line. 
  The 
  inner 
  

   part 
  of 
  these 
  walls 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  quite 
  delicate 
  filaments 
  and 
  small 
  

   particles 
  of 
  clay 
  fixed 
  together 
  by 
  these 
  animals 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  cement 
  

   contained 
  in 
  them, 
  as 
  is 
  very 
  plainly 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  fracture. 
  

  

  The 
  colour 
  of 
  these 
  nests 
  depends 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  on 
  the 
  quality 
  

   of 
  the 
  soil 
  in 
  Vv^hich 
  they 
  occur 
  ; 
  at 
  Tanjore 
  they 
  were 
  reddish, 
  at 
  Tran- 
  

   quebar 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  them 
  black. 
  The 
  greater 
  age 
  of 
  a 
  nest 
  has 
  also 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  darkening 
  its 
  colour. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  rainy 
  season, 
  when 
  I 
  took 
  the 
  cellular 
  "dwellings 
  [fungus- 
  

   combs] 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  they 
  were 
  very 
  fragile. 
  A 
  couple 
  of 
  hours 
  

   afterwards 
  they 
  were 
  harder, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  day, 
  when 
  I 
  placed 
  

   them 
  in 
  water, 
  they 
  floated 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  these 
  dwellings 
  remained 
  

   above 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  twelve 
  hours. 
  

  

  In 
  water 
  these 
  cells 
  [combs] 
  do 
  not 
  melt 
  but 
  colour 
  it 
  a 
  little 
  brown 
  

   and 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  somewhat 
  bitter 
  taste 
  which 
  contracts 
  one's 
  mouth. 
  

  

  When 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  charcoal-fire, 
  this 
  substance 
  burns 
  with 
  a 
  strong 
  

   smoke 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  vegetable 
  origiu. 
  It 
  becomes 
  red-hot 
  

   without 
  disintegrating, 
  keeping 
  the 
  heat 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  and 
  some 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  on 
  touching 
  them 
  have 
  given 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  ringing 
  noise, 
  especially 
  if 
  

   overturned 
  or 
  dropped 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  The 
  queen-cell 
  is 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  always 
  between 
  

   the 
  topmost 
  and 
  lowest 
  stories 
  of 
  the 
  cells. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  quite 
  flat, 
  horizontal 
  vaulted 
  chamber 
  scarcely 
  an 
  inch 
  high 
  ; 
  

   and 
  its 
  breadth 
  is 
  adjusted 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  queen 
  who 
  

   inhabits 
  it 
  by 
  herself. 
  Rarely 
  is 
  she 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  one's 
  finger. 
  The 
  walls 
  

   and 
  the 
  floor 
  are 
  quite 
  smooth 
  and 
  nothing 
  more 
  worth 
  mentioning 
  is 
  

   to 
  be 
  found 
  therein. 
  The 
  entrance 
  to 
  this 
  cell, 
  separated 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  

   others 
  by 
  thick 
  walls 
  of 
  earth, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  neatness 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  in 
  all 
  these 
  cells 
  is 
  the 
  sternest 
  

   that 
  can 
  be 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  discover 
  anything 
  uncleanly 
  

   anywhere 
  in 
  them. 
  

  

  