NATURALISES CABINET. 



Nurseries Rebuildins. 



found to consist chiefly of the gums or inspissated 

 juices of plants, thrown together in small irregu- 

 lar masses. Of these masses, some are finer than 

 others, and resemble the sugar about preserved 

 fruits; others resemble the tears of gum, one 

 being quite transparent, another like amber, a 

 third brown, and a fourth perfectly opaque. 



The nurseries are always intermixed with the 

 magazines, and are buildings totally different 

 from the rest of the apartment. These are com- 

 posed entirely of wooden materials, which seem 

 to be cemented with gums. They are invariably 

 occupied by the eggs, and the young which first 

 appear in the shape of labourers. These build- 

 ings are exceedingly compact, and are divided 

 into a number of small irregular-shaped cham- 

 bers, not one of which is half an inch wide. 

 They are placed all round, and as near as possi- 

 ble to the royal apartments. When a nest is in 

 an infant state, the nurseries are close to the 

 royal apartment. But, as in process of time the 

 body of the queen enlarges, it becomes neces- 

 sary for her accommodation, to augment the di- 

 mensions of her chamber. She then, likewise, 

 lays a greater number of eggs, and requires more 

 attendants; of course, it is necessary that both 

 the number and dimensions of the adjacent 

 apartments should be augmented. For this pur- 

 pose, the small first built nurseries are taken to 

 pieces, rebuilt a little farther off, and made a size 

 larger, and their number, at the same time is in- 

 creased. Thus the animals are continually em- 



