SOLID ERECTIONS. 175 



Now, shutting our eyes on the creations of Fancy, let us 

 open them on the realities of Nature. Where are we ? Our 

 populous city, like Aladdin's palace, has disappeared, and in 

 its stead stands, in solitary grandeur, a stately oak-tree. The 

 oak itself, with certain of its usual occupants, has stood, in fact, 

 for our opening sketch. The objects have been traced precisely 

 as they exist. Let us only fill up their outlines, and give to 

 each a name, and we shall have no picture of fancy, but a 

 faithful representation of dwellings that are raised and of the 

 dwellers which raise them, if not on every oak tree, in every 

 wood of oak. 



To begin with the builders, and their solid erections, com- 

 pleted or in progress. Following the course of some branch 

 (or highway) we shall presently perceive them. And here we 

 have one 1 a covered structure of triangular form its walls 

 composed, apparently, of a sort of tiling, which resembles in 

 colour the bark of the smooth branch whereon it is seated 

 and there we see another and another (call them what you 

 will, huts or palaces) not contiguous, but as regular in plan, 

 aye, and more so, than the houses in our best-built streets. 

 On another diverging branch are several similar erections, in 

 different stages of progression, and employed on each of them 

 we can discern a single artizan, who is preparing the abode 

 for his own solitary occupation. This labourer is a small yel- 

 lowish white caterpillar, tinged with red, each segment of his 

 body being studded with tufts of red hair. He has fourteen 

 feet, and the upper part of his body is more flat than in the 

 generality of the caterpillar crew. He has also two brown 

 spots behind the head. On commencing operations he mea- 

 sures (using his body as a rule) the place intended for his 

 structure the basement of which is of a triangular form, 

 with the apex at the lower end. "The bricks or tiles of 

 which the building is composed are small rectangular strap- 



1 Vignette. 



