230 



THE HARMONIES OF NATURE. 



architecture some rearing their palaces in caves, others sus- 

 pending them from trees ; some covering them with domes, 

 others attaching them to roofs or rafters ; so that we have here, 

 not three or four, but a whole series of insect-towns, varying 

 according to circumstances, but in each case impressed with the 

 stamp of perfection. 



Among the various structures of the social wasps, one of the 

 most interesting is that of the Chartergus nidulans, a native of 



Nest of Chartergus Nidulans. 



America, which is formed of a beautifully-polished white and solid 

 pasteboard, impenetrable by the weather. These nests are pen- 

 dulous, and attached to branches of trees ; the hole through which 

 the branch is passed being very large, o as to permit the nest 

 to swing freely in the wind. The dimensions are extremely vari- 

 able, from a few inches to several feet in length, each structure 

 appearing to be capable of unlimited enlargement; for when 

 the increasing population of the commonwealth renders addi- 

 tional accommodation necessary, the little architects, taking the 

 bottom of the nest as the starting-point, build upon it a new 

 series of hexagonal cells, opening downwards, as in most other 

 nests constructed by the Vespidse. At each enlargement of the 

 colony, they take care to add another row or two to the circum- 



