250 Insect Architecture. 



of building a new one, by 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 premises 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 room, 

 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 service 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 we 

 have already seen ; and we are about now to give an addi- 

 tional instance of the art of a species of caterpillars which 

 select a warmer material for their tents than even the cater- 

 pillar of the clothes-moth. It may have been remarked by 

 many who are not botanists, that the seed-catkins of the 

 willow become, as they ripen, covered with a species of 

 down or cotton, which, however, is too short in the fibre to 

 be advantageously employed in our manufactures. But the 

 caterpillars, to which we have alluded, find it well adapted 

 for their habitations. 



