92 INTRODUCTION. 



composed of particles of earth or sand, agglutinated 

 or held together by an intermixture of silk threads. 

 Such are a few of the structures of these minia- 

 ture architects, and it is impossible to peruse even 

 the most brief and imperfect account of them with- 

 out being struck with the admirable skill and 

 foresight which they manifest. The almost unde- 

 viating uniformity of the cells of the hive-bee has 

 been sometimes adduced as an argument against 

 the intelligence of these industrious insects, their 

 operations, being thought to be thereby assimilated 

 to those of a piece of unconscious mechanism. But 

 this objection, if it be one, does not apply to the 

 creatures we have just been considering. There is 

 always sufficient variety in the circumstances under 

 which they work to require the exercise of con- 

 siderable intelligence. They must discriminate and 

 select, and adapt their plans to new contingencies 

 which are continually occurring in the course of their 

 proceedings. The facility with which they do this 

 has- been often exemplified. We have already men- 

 tioned a small larva which forms a moveable tent 

 of the epidermis of a leaf, and which, to save the 

 trouble of sewing up one of the sides, makes its 

 excavation close to the edge, where it leaves the 

 membrane entire to form one of the walls. While the 

 operation was going forward, Reaumur cut off with 

 a pair of scissors the whole of the outer edge, and 

 left it in a great measure open. Thus unexpectedly 

 exposed and defeated in its object, the worm was 



